Sanctuary : Haven
by Hiasobi
Summary: After the wars: Dorothy Catalonia, Hiiro Yui and Usagi Tsukino end up being housemates. But when a letter comes addressed to Usagi Winner, they all have to face up to the past that none of them wanted. Chapter Update! It Lives!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own nada.

**Sanctuary : HAVEN**

Index:  
Koibito Lover  
Onegai Please  
Anata Darling   
Aishiteru I love you  
Itsumademo Forever

* * *

Prologue

They weren't holding each other in desperation, they weren't kissing and whispering sweet nothings, they weren't professing endless love for each other nor were they in the middle of heated passion.

She could swear it they weren't.

But every once in a while his lips would meet hers in an welcomed kiss, gentle tender words came out of their mouths, hands roamed freely on the two naked bodies without protest from either of them and they held each other so close that a hair couldn't fit between the two of them.

" Anata." She breathed out in a caressing gasp as his hand slid upon her inner thigh and up.

" Koibito." He murmured against her lips as he kissed her softly, his finger sliding into her carefully.

She gasped faintly and she arched up to him as he stroked her from the inside. She withered under him and moaned into his neck. He gently bit at her earlobe and worked his way down slowly.

She moaned against him once more and moved her hips in rhythm to his seeking fingers.

" Onegai," she whispered pleadingly, " onegai anata."

He withdrew his fingers and slowly drew his form above her. Kissing her softly he positioned himself.

" Aishiteru koibito," the words blanketing her in a warmth like no other, " aishiteru."

" Aishiteru anata," she whispered back, " itsumademo."

And he entered her, body, mind and soul.

" Itsumademo."

_. : - : ._

Usagi Tsukino opened her eyes to the morning light and blinked at the flare. Yawning she stood up and grabbed her change of clothes before going to shower. Rubbing her eyes tiredly she turned the knob to where she wanted it and stepped in.

Coming out of her room, showered and changed into a peach t-shirt and a pair of blue bellbottom jeans she made her way to the breakfast table.

" Ohayo Dor-chan." She said in greeting to the other occupant.

Dorothy Catalonia looked up at her in amusement, she never quite got used to the nickname. " Good morning Usagi."

Usagi sat herself down at the table and grabbed a piece of toast from Dorothy's plate. Taking a bite she made a face.

" Plain toast again?" she said.

" I haven't had a chance to butter then yet." Dorothy replied as she opened the fridge door and took out the butter.

" Get the cottage cheese while you're there." Usagi told her.

Dorothy grabbed that too and walked back to the table. She set the two things down and taking her own piece of toast, started to butter it. Usagi grabbed a knife and started to spread cottage cheese on two pieces of toast. As soon as she was done she stood up, grabbed one piece of the toast she had just made and went over to the door. Putting on her running shoes, taking her white windbreaker off the hanger she slung her backpack over one shoulder.

" Gotta get to school now. Ja ne!" That said, Usagi opened the door and walked out.

Taking a bite of her buttered toast Dorothy looked up as she heard a door open and saw the last member of their group and housemate.

Hiiro Yui looked at her and gave a grunted 'ohayo', barely distinguishable as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

" Usagi gone?" he remarked more than asked, but she nodded in affirmation anyways.

It still amazed her to no end that Hiiro Yui and her, Dorothy Catalonia, could be housemates. If someone had told her that they would end up living in the same house, willingly, a year ago she would have laughed herself silly and reported the person to a mental asylum.

She watched him sit right where Usagi had just sat and picked up the toast she had left on the plate. He took a sip of coffee and bit into the bread.

She had long since suspected there was something between Hiiro and Usagi, and when what little of his belongings that he brought disappeared into Usagi's room, it just proved her suspicions right. She would have never thought a relationship between those two possible, but she guessed what they said was true. Opposites attracted.

She bit into her own piece and thought back to how they had ended up as they were now.

It all started when Dorothy found an unconscious girl on her backyard. There had been no injuries on her or any clues to how she had gotten there. The girl had on a blue plated skirt and a white shirt with a red bow in front, the broach she had pinned on it was a little childish but beautiful. Her hair was put up in the most unique and strange way Dorothy had ever seen in her 17 years of life. It was pinned up in two buns on top of her hair and long streamers flowed out all the way to her shin, almost the ankles. She looked as about 15 years of age.

Dorothy had quickly brought her inside and checked for any injuries or sickness like fevers or the such. Finding the girl in perfect health she was baffled at how she had gotten in her backyard. A few moments later the girl had opened her eyes and she had seen the most beautiful blue in her eyes and the depth they held were astounding.

Blinking the girl had looked around her and seemed confused about her surroundings. She had asked Dorothy something in a foreign language, which she identified as Japanese. Dorothy knew several different languages due to her high class up bringing for the times politicians came from other countries. But Japanese she hadn't been required to learn a lot of, so she only got small tidbits of what she was saying.

She found out the girl's name was Usagi and, Dorothy was relieved, that she knew some English. They had a few communication problems and Dorothy had racked her brain to see if she knew anyone that spoke or was Japanese. And found that Hiiro Yui fit the bill.

Dorothy kept track of the gundam pilots and their locations, if just so she could avoid them; it was hard to do let me tell you this. They were always traveling from one place to another but Dorothy kept up. She had never thought she'd use that information to _seek_ one of them out, especially pilot 01, but she did anyways.

Contacting 01 and telling him that she was currently living in England, she was told that he would be there tomorrow. There had been no really encouraging or dealing need to make him come after she had explained the situation clearly. Neither of them wanted to send another innocent into the cruel harsh world out there alone and confused.

When he had arrived, even though he didn't talk a lot Usagi had been so happy to see another that spoke her language. After some questions from Hiiro and answers from Usagi: they found out that she lived in Tokyo, Japan and was 17 years old just like them. Usagi had no recollection of how she had ended up in Dorothy's backyard, and did not really wish to leave. She had told them that she wanted some time out of the life she lead in Japan, which they found out some later time that she was the famous heroine Sailormoon.

She had also told them why she might have appeared here where she was. Her boyfriend, and destined husband had explained to her that he thought they should take a break from their relationship and see other people, just to be sure if they were really meant for each other. She had wished upon the Ginzuishou to take her to a place where she could be free and not deal with the duties of the life she had.

After that they had found out that she knew nothing of the wars that had been happening over the past three years and so Dorothy took it upon herself to tell her. She also explained her own role in them, and was certain that Usagi would hate her afterwards. But to her surprise Usagi had not hated her or gotten angry, confused, or uncomfortable. She had given Dorothy a hug and said that everyone should be given a second chance.

They had looked up to see Hiiro staring at them unblinkingly and deep in thought. Dorothy had not told Usagi that Hiiro was one of the gundam pilots but Usagi seemed to understand that Hiiro had been involved in the war somehow and he would tell her his story in his own time. The few weeks after that were spent in teaching Dorothy, Japanese and Usagi, English.

After a month or so Dorothy had noticed that Hiiro had told Usagi his tale from one sunrise to the next, because no unexpected tension appeared anymore. And after that she had started to notice some things.

Usagi would sometimes blush when Hiiro made a comment, Hiiro did not tense up to accidental touches from Usagi, and he started to sit next to Usagi on the couch instead of by himself in the one-seat. Then a small while later his things started disappearing from his room into Usagi's. Sometime following that Usagi came to the breakfast table one morning in nothing more than one of Hiiro's white button up shirts that barely went to her mid-thigh and Hiiro walked out of her bedroom in only his boxers.

But then Usagi told them something that shocked Dorothy almost to the core. Usagi was a Winner. She was two months older then Quatre and was the last one to be 'born' before him. She had gone into hiding, among several of her other sisters, a year after Quatre had been chosen to be a gundam pilot. She hadn't seen her brother in more then 10 years now.

She had refused the invitations to family reunions after the wars (though she didn't know it was after the wars, she had just known it was after a long time with no contact with most of her family), saying that she would have felt weird. Most of her sisters had kept in touch with each other but not her, not really. She didn't know them anymore - well, except for one. One sisters had found her three years ago, by pure coincidence.

And that sister had came for a visit one day unannounced. Usagi hadn't told them what her sister's name was because she wasn't sure if her sister would have liked it. But when Dorothy opened the door she would have never thought it possible that Haruka Ten'ou was her relative. Haruka was a famous racecar driver and pianist, and had fairly demanded that she see Usagi.

Usagi had run out from her room and threw herself at Haruka. After Haruka explained that she was only here for a short while, she was due for a race, Usagi introduced her to Dorothy and Hiiro.

They had meet her approval but she had given Hiiro such an intense stare and he had seem to earned her respect when he had not backed down. Dorothy hadn't backed down either.

Leaving just as soon as she arrived, like a passing wind, Haruka said she would keep in touch. She had pulled Usagi aside for a private chat before she left but there seemed to be no conflict between the two girls. And she had kept in touch, there was at least a call or letter of some kind from Haruka once a week, no matter where her career had taken her.

Dorothy guessed that Usagi told Haruka her relationship with Hiiro somewhere because Haruka had phoned one day and demanded to talk to Hiiro. Dorothy had been out at the time but had gotten back to see Hiiro get off the vid-phone with Haruka. When asked what it had been about Hiiro had just said " Usagi."

She shook her head free of the thoughts and looked across the table to see Hiiro had finished his slice of bread and coffee. He got up to leave but before he went out the door she remembered something and shouted after him, " I have a show today, so tell Usagi not to expect me back anytime before 5!"

She got a grunt reply saying he heard and the door shut behind him. She shook her head in mild exasperation and rolled her eyes to high heaven begging for patience. Getting up from her chair she cleared the table, gathered the dishes and placing them in the sink, then found an apron before she set about washing them. Which after she would get ready for her show this afternoon.

You see she had been just mostly window shopping and going in the stores to buy an occasional trinket she liked once in a while when a woman walked past, did a double take and retraced her steps to the bakery window of the food shop she had been in and introduced herself to her.

Her name had been Michelle Cara, a model agent looking for new models. They had a long talk in the near by cafﾁEas the woman tried to convince Dorothy she had modeling potential. She had took Michelle's card and told her she would think about it, and after checking out that if Michelle was or was not a real agent and then much prompting from Usagi (and glares from Hiiro to get the hell out of the house so he and Usagi could have some time together, alone) she called Michelle out and went for a interview and try out.

A week later she had her picture on the front page of a magazines, not a really popular one mind you but it had been a start, and things had worked on from there. Now she was recognized in public once in a while and one or two girls often came for an autograph, but she had not been mobbed yet, thank god for that. One thing that seemed to puzzle and confuse her agent was that Dorothy was dominant in having her model career stay within the boundaries of England. She did the occasional commercial or photo-shoot for large make up companies and such but she would not, could not, flat out refused -and threatened to sue- doing anything that would make its way off the Earth and if her face was aired or plastered in an billboard or TV in the colonies.

This of course, frustrated Michelle to no end but Dorothy was too good to give up and it was not like she really needed the job. She had enough money to support herself -and a family of 30- off of without ever having to work in her life. Her modeling career was more of a hobby and a favor to Michelle than anything else, and the agent knew to quit when she was ahead.

Speaking of jobs, Dorothy couldn't help the smirk that stretched its way on to her face. Usagi had been extremely stubborn from the start, as soon as she recovered, that she would not be a dead weight on them, living off their money, and had found herself a job at one of the local diners as a waitress. It was a relatively safe neighborhood but call it paranoia left over from the wars, Dorothy could not bring herself to stop worrying about her new found friend's safety, and so, had ordered every night that Usagi had work for Hiiro to go and pick her up after her shift.

Everything had gone well but after a while whenever Hiiro went to pick Usagi up after shifts he often walked in on scenes of boys giving Usagi their unwanted attentions. Once time a boy was caught trying to kiss Usagi with her protesting against him, Hiiro of course knocked him out, but deciding the job was too dangerous for the little girl, Dorothy had wanted her to quit. But the little bunny was stubborn and refused, saying, where else would she find a job?

They had had a small disagreement on the matter, both pleading the other to see their point of view, until just one day out of the blue Hiiro bluntly announced he had been hired as the bartender at the diner and now would the two of them shut the hell up? They had, of course, stared at him with dumbstruck faces until one of them stammered a thanks.

To Usagi's surprise and Dorothy's relief, their concerns were set to rest and buried deep under when they found that Hiiro had most of the same shifts as Usagi (most probably due to Hiiro threatening the manager). Maybe it was then, with all the men in the shop bluntly stating about Usagi's beauty that Hiiro had first begun to notice his attraction to the lively girl that was his housemate.

She set the dishes back in their place in the cupboard and was walking across the living room to her quarters to change when she saw something that made her stop dead. On the coffee table in front of the TV, laid the stack of today's mail, but one letter sticking out with a white envelope struck a fear into her heart. For there in computer printed letters was written: To Usagi Winner.

No letters ever came for Usagi Winner, just Usagi Tsukino, for nobody knew except for her, Hiiro, Haruka and Usagi herself that she was a Winner. All letters from her friends, family and even Haruka, her own sister came addressed to Usagi Tsukino, to their bunny of the moon. No mail came for Usagi Winner, for Usagi Winner did not live in between these walls, only Usagi Tsukino.

With dread creeping up her heart and lodge deep in her throat, she made her way to the coffee table and swiped the letter up. Without a second thought she grabbed the small pocketknife that was used to open letters and slashed it open. Pulling the letter out of its case she quickly scanned it with wild eyes. And when the door slammed shut behind her as two people came in to the house, she jumped.

" Ohayo Dor-chan," Usagi said chirpily, " I forgot my Physics book."

Hiiro grunted and pocketed his car keys, telling of that he had drove by Usagi on her way running back to their house. Looking up he saw Dorothy's ashen face, telling him of trouble.

" Dor-chan? What's wrong?" There was a trace of fear in Usagi's voice, she had noticed too.

Dorothy extended the arm out that held the letter, offering it to them instead of a vocal explanation. Usagi walked up and took the letter from her friend' s hand and made her way to the couch. Hiiro followed her and sat behind her in the big three-seat sofa and wrapped his arms around her waist, turning to the side slightly so her head was pressed up comfortably up against his chest and settled his chin on her shoulder to read the letter with her as Dorothy stared at them with glimmering eyes.

" To Usagi Winner..." he read and his voice trailed off.

_To Usagi Winner,  
You are invited to: the Winner's family reunion.  
It will be held at: 1354 Mayfield Ave., Colony L1  
Date: October 5, 199 AC  
Time: 9:00 pm_

_P.S. You better show up Sister! We haven't seen you in so long, if you don't come to us, we'll come to you! Oh, and bring your friends! We'd like to meet them, and we know you have some!  
Lilth, Sister 26._

Hiiro tightened his hold around Usagi's waist as she stared blankly at the paper. Her hands shook ever so slightly as she slowly set it down face up on the coffee table.

" What are you going to do Usa-chan?" Dorothy whispered.

They looked up to see Dorothy's trembling form standing there in the middle for the carpet, exactly where she had been when they walked into the room a few minutes ago. Usagi patted the spot next to her on the couch and Dorothy made her way on shaky legs. As soon as she reached the sofa she fell in a boneless sit onto the couch. She pulled her legs up onto the leather couch and tucked them in a v next to her. Usagi reached up slowly and pulled her head onto her lap gently, and that way they stayed for a while, Hiiro sitting behind Usagi with his arms tight around the girls waist, the girl gently stroking Dorothy's hair in a soothing manner and Dorothy with her head on Usagi's lap shaking ever so softly and all three of them staring at the letter with unreadable faces.

Dorothy blinked as she saw something colorful on the floor in front of her and picked up the postcard from the floor. She stared blankly at the picture of an amusement park at sunset. Usagi plucked it from her limp grasp and turned it around to read the message.

_Dear Usagi,  
I suppose you would have gotten the invitation by the time this postcard reaches you, and I wish I was there to comfort you, but I think Dorothy and Hiiro will take care of that for me. I'm writing to let you know I've received one as well and I bet at the end of your letter one of the sisters had written to tell you to come and with friends. I wish for you to go Usagi. Yes, I wish for you to go.  
I will be attending as well and I am bringing the Outers with me, they are my family and I wish for you to be there to complete it. Bring Hiiro and Dorothy along with you; I'm sure you all have things you need to sort out there. I'm bringing my family, so it is only fair you bring yours.  
Don't worry Usagi; once we're there, we can all draw strength from each other.  
Love, Haruka_

" So that's it, I guess we're going." Usagi said after passing the card to Hiiro and Dorothy, there was no uncertainties in her voice when she had said 'we' for she had no doubts that they would go with her, as a matter of fact her doubts were of that even if she had wanted to go alone, she doubted they would have let her. Even though going meant facing a past none of them wanted to.

Usagi would have to face her sisters and answer why she had not come for any previous reunions, Hiiro would have to face the other pilots and Ririna would no doubt be there as well, and Dorothy...Dorothy would have to face Quatre, the man she had stabbed and fallen completely in love with in such a brief encounter. They all knew this for no secrets were held in this house of theirs. Who would take this trip the hardest they didn't know, but they would be there to catch them when they fell. All three of them were strong independent people, but even they had their limits. But you could only find them when you are pushed to the extremes, and all three of them were stretching their limits now, more then ever, for each test grows bolder and each test widens your range, and with each test you are bound to fall.

" Yes," Dorothy whispered, " I guess we are."

Hiiro kissed the side of Usagi's neck before releasing her and standing up, " I'll book the tickets. They'll have to be one of tomorrow's flight to make it there on time."

They knew it was true, for the letter it seemed to have taken a long time to reach them and the date of the reunion was nearly upon them.

The girls were silent as Hiiro walked to his room in which he shared with Usagi and Dorothy let her stroke her cheek one more time in comfort before raising her head from her lap and started to go to her room to change. Usagi sat up straighter and went through the rest of the mail and pulled out her laptop to pay all the bills that came as so not to leave any unfinished business behind, for they did not know how long they would be gone.

There seemed to be a mutual agreement in the air as Dorothy opened the door to make her way to the model show happening across town in an hour. It was understood that business like calling the school, their friends the diner would be taken care of by Usagi and Hiiro would place the tickets and fix the house up for them to leave and when Dorothy came back later, with all her modeling career put on a short hold, then they would all pack.

_. : - : ._

When the sun had dipped its head down in a bow and the moon took her place in the sky, they finally finished packing the all the other preparations were done, there was nothing else to do but wait. The shuttle was scheduled for 10 am in the morning and the only thing they had to do was grab their own duffle bags and get into the air to drive to the airport, they were traveling light. With that in mind they went to shower and then to bed.

" Hiiro?" she asked sighing, " what do you think will happen?"

" I don't know." He answered truthfully and tucked her head to his neck; looking down at her golden crown she dropped a light kiss on top of the sunshine hair.

She tried to snuggle deeper into his embrace and sighed contentedly next to him, both of them in naked blessedness with her back faced his chest and whenever he spoke she felt the deep voice vibrate off her head, laying curled up together underneath the blanket. Just as they were going to fall asleep a figure opened their door and closed it after walking through.

They looked to see Dorothy in her short sleeves knee length pale yellow nightgown with a rounded collar. She stared at them in the dark for a moment, her blue eyes shining in the dark and Usagi smiled at her, only then did Dorothy approached and crawled into the bed with them, knowing of their state of undress and not caring, she had expected it anyways. She lay tucked up against Usagi so her head was right up against her chest. She listened to the soothing beat of Usagi's heart and the nightmares were driven away.

And so Usagi stroked Dorothy's hair like a mother would a child's and they laid like that, with Usagi hugging Dorothy and Hiiro hugging her. Offering all the comfort and strength they could for each other.

**. : Owari: .**

Hiasobi: This had been sitting on my hardrive for so long I almost forgot about it. I'm mostly probably not going to write more of this, I have school and other fics I need to finish already, but I could be presuaded.  
Please review and let me know what I should do. Until next time...Ja!


	2. Chapter One

Discliamer: I don't own SM or GW.

Index:  
Anata Darling

* * *

Chapter One

Perhaps it was time to forget. Perhaps it was time to move on. Time never did wait for anyone.

She turned her head and looked out the shuttle window from her class-one seat. Clouds passed by, or maybe they were passing by the clouds, it didn't really matter. The sun's beams shone down on its path to the earth, yet the brightness of it dawdled to nothing as they breached into the atmosphere and entered space. Bringing them closer to their destination.

She sighed and turned her head away; even the stars brightness could not keep her interests anymore. She wondered at that, usually she was fascinated by them, lulled into fascination by them, but this time she was only lulled to look away from them. Stars meant space, and space meant the colonies, and the colonies meant the past.

She wanted to put off anything that connected her to her history as long as she can, until she had to face it head on. Her eyes drifted shut in her wariness and a hand moved to cover hers, concealing it in a basket of warmth. She smiled with closed eyes and let her hand slip from under his and onto his knee.

He let her massage his thigh, knowing she need something, anything to get her mind off of what was to come. They all did. He had brought his portable laptop with him, of which was placed in front of him on the suspended tray on the back of the seat in front of him and of which he was typing away on with one hand. Dorothy on his left had her eyes trained on a book, whether or not she was reading was questionable, but at least she was turning the pages once in a while.

Usagi hadn't brought anything, claiming she wouldn't be able to concentrate on it anyways, and so they had let her take the window seat. It had been amusing to watch her child-like fascination of the view outside, with sparkling eyes and a glowing face, that was, until they breached from the Earth to space.

Space, it seemed, made the whole difference.

He turned his mind away from the path it was heading and concentrated on the screen of his laptop, where the newest updates of the colonies' activates were flashing, he intended to be well informed before they reached his destination. Huh, it seems old habits died hard. But then again sometimes the old habits could be pretty useful.

He gave a quiet sharp intake of breath as the hand that had been on his thigh traveled up and almost brushed against the center of his legs. He gave a sharp glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, only to see her still with her eyes closed and with an expression of blissful ignorance. He'd bet you his laptop that a devilish smile was threatening to break out over the angelic face right now.

He grounded his teeth in mild frustration as her hand moved up and down his inner leg, coming closer then drawing away from the spot of his need, never touching. He could acutely feel the heat of her palm, so warm and becoming coal hot, as it repeated the process. He couldn't stop the low hiss that escaped him as her finger brushed against his aroused member for a split second, only to retreat from the contact. He could feel the smirk that took over her lips now, if even she had not heard the sound she would have felt it vibrate through him, and he glared at the screen.

Usagi was definitely having fun teasing him, not only did it take her mind off things, who knew that the 'Perfect Soldier' incapable of emotions, was so sensitive to her touch. Even from the brief contact, she could feel how aroused he was already. Damn, she was evil and she couldn't stop the wicked grin the spread over her face as her lids half opened to show glittering eyes to the world.

The next time her hand touch him again his leg jumped, and she saw from under her eyelashes the way his throat tightened as well. She swallowed the lump of laughter that was pushing its way up from her voice box and fought to not giggle at the glare he sent his laptop, he looked as if he was ready to smash the machinery open with his bare hands. Oh this was so fun.

Dorothy looked up from her book in the next few minutes as she heard a low growl coming from Hiiro's throat and raised an eyebrow at the look he was sending his prized portable computer, he looked as if he would have most liked to send a bullet through the monitor anytime now. But then she blinked as she saw from the corner of her eyes his jittery right leg, which seemed unable to stop jumping every few seconds. Which then lead her sight to the arm that was attached to it, and the hand moving up and down its length.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation at the discovery and wondered how she ended with the two of them, and how she could put up with them. They never seemed to be able to give it a rest, but she must admit as she peaked out at Hiiro from the corner of her eye, that it was worth it. It wouldn't let you get to see the Perfect Soldier look and act like any other regular hormonal frustrated teenage boy any other way. She relished the sight.

And the blackmail material it brought along with it.

She had to smother the laugh in her mouth before it got through her lips as Hiiro caught her looking at him, and glared out at her in all his frustration. She almost lost it when his face lit up like a kid-lost-in-a-candy-store expression when the captain's voice rang out through the intercom.

" Please buckle your seat belt's," a gruff voice boomed, " We will be landing in t-minus 5 minutes."

Ooohhh yay, she absolutely loved the blackmail material it brought. Just think of the wonders she could do to his image if she ever 'accidentally' slipped something out? She had to hide a snicker at that thought as she buckled her seatbelt in and felt the rumble of the engine getting ready for landing right after.

Getting off the plane and through the inspection didn't take as long as she thought it would, and when she stuck her head out the doors for a quick peak to see if there was a crowd, she was glad that no news of her arrival leaked out or anything. She hated dealing with the reporters, she had enough of their busy bodies-ness to last her a lifetime already. She pushed the doors opened and walked towards the place for luggage pickup and inspected it for her duffle bag.

Hiiro reached over to grab his bag, and looking at him, she saw the baby blue bag with a blue stripe (Usagi and her helped him picked it out) didn't clash with his outfit. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a loose white t-shirt and a jean jacket over it, unbutton, and on his feet were the customary white running shoes. She herself and Usagi wore running shoes as well; it was a precaution they took, no matter what. It was just easier to run from the press in them then any other shoes.

She spotted her yellow duffle bag with orange stripe on top of someone's suitcase and reached to remove it. She herself wore a light orange skirt, which reached to cover her knees, and a beige elbow-length sleeves flannel shirt. Heaving her bag on her shoulder she saw in a pole mirror she looked fashionably sporty. Which was good, since Michelle had droned on and on about her having to be ready if a reporter just happened to jump out of nowhere and take her picture on the street or at the market.

Usagi was wearing a pair of baby blue flair jeans and a pink tank top with one of Hiiro's blue plaid button up shirts over it. She happily accepted the white duffle bag with a sea blue stripe from Hiiro; it saved her the time to futilely look for it. She liked to borrow Hiiro's clothing more often then not, saying they were comfy and that it smelled of him, a pleasant husky aroma tinged with spice that was his own individual smell.

Dorothy had to admit it was a nice smell, not like some of those colognes she absolutely did not want to get near. She liked it and had asked Hiiro once if it was a specially made brand of cologne, but he just looked at her weird. Hiiro Yui did not use cologne, to him they were a waste of money and he did not understand why men wore them. So the smell was his natural scent. And Dorothy herself was guilty of borrowing his shirts once in a while; they were comfy and hey, if she couldn't get the scent in a store, why not get it where she could?

And of course when Hiiro couldn't find one of his shirts, he knew where to look. Either his girlfriend had it or it was his friend, both of whom were often seen in and out of the house sporting clothes from his closet. And people wandered why he had a closet full of clothes almost the size of one of the girls, god knows why.

Dorothy looked around the airport, scanning for the closest exit with the fewest people.

" What should we do first?" Usagi asked them. " We have the whole day to pass before we're due for the party tonight."

Party, it was easier to think of it that way. Better then 'reunion' or even 'gathering'.

" We could go sight seeing," Dorothy suggested peering around on her tippy-toes, " or we could grab something to eat, or we could go to the carnival I heard was happening."

" Or we could go to a park," Usagi said, " or a zoo, I'd like to see the animals. Which should we do first?"

" We," Hiiro inputted grimly with a growl, " are first going to find a hotel."

As he marched over to the closest exit, Dorothy and Usagi traded a wide-eyed look, before falling over laughing.

_. : - : . _

Three hours after signing in, Usagi did what Dorothy had done a long time ago, settling in to the room. Shaking out the blue shirt she hooked it onto a hanger and put it in the closet. Smoothing down the cresses the best she could with her hands, she moved onto the next article of clothing.

A knock came on the door and then it was opened before she could even reply. Dorothy poked her head in with a warm smile glancing around the room. Seeing Usagi nod a welcome at her she stepped in and closed the door behind her before walking over to help Usagi sort out what she and Hiiro brought. She rolled her eyes heaven ward when she reached into the blue shoulder bag and took out a gun, Hiiro would always be Hiiro. Well at least it's not loaded, she thought after she check the barrel.

Usagi giggled at her and she stuck her tongue out at the longhaired blonde. Sticking the incredibly dangerous weapon back into the bag with a carefree hand she pulled out a shirt. She brought it up to her nose and wafted it, giving a longing sigh afterwards. Damn she wished he bottled that smell - or something similar to it- she bet she would attract a lot of men with it if he did. It tickled your nostrils nicely and seemed to warm you inside out.

She opened her eyes to see Usagi's sparkling blue orbs laughing at her.

" Hey, just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean I can't appreciate him as well. God knows how many dates his shirts have help me get." She said mockingly.

Usagi fell laughing onto the bed, but said nothing. It was true on Hiiro; his natural scent seemed to add to his image of being a tough and cold man. Yet on them mixing in with whatever scent they, the two of them, gave off (vanilla Usagi and buttercup Dorothy), the smell made them more desirable it seemed, gentle with strong wills, kind with a heart of steel, caring but not easily hurt. It was a good combination.

And the presence of the scent gave off a warning as well, no matter how well it would have probably done on the market, there was a certain ...realness of a man in it, signaling there was a man in there lives. A dangerous one if provoked. Whether it be a brother, family or in Usagi's case, a love, it was warning not to treat them bad. As Dorothy was thankful for it, it drove the jerks away most of the time of the men that approached her. And for Usagi, it stopped any advances on her once she made it clear she was already attached.

In many ways, Hiiro's presence was helpful even when he was not around.

" Yeah well, and how many dates did he scare off when they came to the front porch?" Usagi teased.

Dorothy hit her playfully on the arm in reproach, " Yeah well, who was it that purposefully sent him to open the door when I told them I was expecting a date?"

Usagi blinked innocently, " My brother? He likes to keep what's his you know."

She stuck out her tongue at her and Usagi stuck her back, soon a good-natured raspberry war started.

Dorothy didn't take offense in the words Usagi spoke; besides it was just for fun. She loved him yes, but she didn't know if she had any chance with him or even if she would ever see him again at that time. The dates were maybe attempts to go out into the world again and maybe find someone else to love, but most of all they were for fun. A girl likes to feel desirable time to time. And Usagi just liked to see the men cower in front of Hiiro.

Usagi's one evil evil bunny, Dorothy thought.

They didn't hear the door click open when Hiiro entered the room. He observed the sight of the highbred, war loving, violent girl that was equipped with the mind to vocally out-smart, out-wit any politician and skilled enough with a blade to go against a gundam pilot, having a childish idiotic raspberry war with his cheerful, always happy to help, beautiful inside and out girlfriend. He didn't even bat an eyelash.

He merely walked over to table by the window and dumped the box of donuts on to the smooth surface. Opening the box he took a napkin and wrapped it around the one he wanted and turned around to see the two of them staring at him with specutive eyes.

" You brought food?" Dorothy asked wide-eyed.

He merely raised the donut to his mouth and took a bite.

" Tell me you bought more then one." Usagi said pleadingly.

He pushed the box out from behind him and walked off to the bed casually but distinctly so he was not between them and the round with holes pieces of baked flour. He ignored the shouts of fighting from behind him and only smirked, as he had ate at the shop before he bought the food back.

They hadn't eaten since before getting on the shuttle for the 14-hour ride, and so it was obvious they were all hungry. And he learned a long time ago, don't get in the way of food and blondes. Usagi's appetite was a lot smaller now, being the influence of Dorothy and for not needing to use her magic -of which really drained her- but Dorothy's appetite wasn't as small as it used to be either, due to the influence of Usagi.

" I should get the 6th donut!" Usagi's voice rang out clear, between bites.

" I had dibs on it first!" Dorothy argued, stuffing a donut into her mouth.

" I'm more hungry!" his girlfriend shouted.

" I'm hungry too!"

He sat on the bed and watched this interesting display.

" I need it more!"

" No you don't! We both ate at the same time before the shuttle ride!"

" I do too!"

" Do not!"

" Hiiro didn't spend two hours tiring you out!"

He choked on his donut.

" That's no excuse!"

" Is too!"

He coughed and cleared his throat from the lump of flour that blocked his air hole. Swallowing he blinked through teary eyes and deciding it was safe, took another bite.

" You probably jumped him!"

He choked again.

" Did not!"

" Did too!"

He pounded his fist on his chest, trying to find air.

" Did not!"

" Did too!"

" No! _He_ jumped _me_!"

He swallowed the lump in his throat painfully. He stared up at his girlfriend in disbelief, she would actually _tell_ her that?! To his horror he saw Dorothy with a thoughtful expression on her face.

" He _is_ a guy." The way she said it made him feel insulted.

Usagi took the distraction to stuff the last donut into her mouth and -to his relief- Dorothy forgot what she had just been told and took to instead, chasing Usagi around the room.

He looked down at the other half of his donut and wondered if it was worth it to try and finish the pastry. Deciding that he did not want to die so soon, he stuffed the thing in the garbage can. Dusting his hands off he turned to the two blondes, trying to break up the fight.

" So what should we do now?" he spoke in a neutral tone, void of any of the emotions he just had. Old habits did die hard.

Usagi and Dorothy thought for a moment, the fight forgotten.

" If I know my family right, and I do, enough," Usagi said slowly, " the party would be a formal affair."

She and Dorothy stared at each other, then looked to him.

Oh gods no.

_. : - : . _

He looked down at himself and tried not to groan.

Someone shoot him now.

Please.

Looking in the mirror he retied his tie once again, looked over his appearance, then scowled. He was dressed fashionably in a black and white tuxedo and he looked dashingly handsome. He muttered curses and tried to delay his exit from the change room for as long as he could. He feverishly wished for someone ring the fire alarm, shout thief, scream bloody murder, anything for him to be able to sneak away from here unseen.

Nothing happened.

He took a breath and scowled once more at the mirror which seemed to be mocking him and straightened his back, prepared for what was to come.

The moment he stepped out reluctantly from behind the door squeals greeted his ears and he readied himself for the impact. Even being prepared he still had to take a few steps back from the force of his girlfriend tackling him as he felt the warm arms wrapped around his neck. Behind her, he could hear Dorothy gushing at him, really laying it on thick.

" You look so handsome anata!" Usagi said, kissing him on the cheek.

" Hiiro you are just too dashing!" Dorothy cooed at him.

" Doesn't he look just good enough to eat?" Usagi asked.

Dorothy looked him up and down, fighting back the laughter that was clear in her eyes, " Dear, I don't thinking eating him is what comes to mind."

" Oh but isn't it?" the intention was clear in Usagi's voice and Dorothy had to smother her laugh behind her two hands.

Hiiro could not believe what he was hearing at glared out at the men out on the sidewalk who gave him pitying and jealous looks. You think this is nice?! He wanted to shout at them.

But having Usagi's arms wrapped around him and her body pressed tightly to his, did feel ...nice...

" We'll take it." He heard Dorothy's voice talking to the saleslady and he glared at chair by the fitting rooms, willing it to crumble to dust.

Finally being able to change back to his regular comfortable clothing, (after half an hour of Usagi's and Dorthy's cooing of just how 'good' he looked in the tux) he glowered at the bag in his hands that carried the damn thing. He had thought he left that ensemble behind with his old life, but he guessed not. He grungy followed the two girls around the mall and gave then either grunts or one word answers to their questions of 'how does this look?'.

" We'll need to take pictures later." Dorothy chirped.

Hiiro tried not to groan, he really did but he could not stop the sound from escaping him. They had a picture of every time they managed to get him into a tux for the past year or so they lived together. He felt Usagi's laughter vibrate from her to him through their linked hands.

He glared at the invitation sticking out of Dorothy's purse.

It was all Quatre's fault, he knew it was.

Stupid Winner.

_. : - : . _

After the long tedious photo session, where Hiiro scowled when they said smile, they finally made their way to the party. The traffic was not so crowded and they made it to the party only 10 minutes late. But that is to be expected, Dorothy said, in highbred society, you're supposed to be late.

Walking up to the door with the invitation clutched in Usagi's hand, they were all either uneasy or nervous. There was a good many people in line to get into the mansion and they wait for their turn.

Dorothy unconsciously, or maybe not so unconsciously had her back up straighter then usual, almost stiffly. She scanned the crowd under her lashes for people she might have known before and saw many faces she recognized but they did not notice her yet. Thank god, she did not want to be noticed at least until the party.

Dorothy wore a light orange drawstring silk dress that clung to her upper body and flowed down from her waist. Her hair fell down loosely down her was held back only by a range headband that matched her dress. She wore plain dangling gold earrings, a beautiful gold necklace that beheld a blue topaz, the same color of her eyes, right above the valley of her chest and a thin gold bracket locked around her right wrist. Her make-up was nice and gentle, having let Usagi argue her into it, and brought out her delicate cheekbones and drew your attention to her eyes.

Usagi wore a sinfully innocent white dress that hung to her curves teasingly. It was sleeveless and had a low neck that went down just enough to show the valley of her breasts. Like Dorothy's her dress too, did clung to her upper body and fell flowingly down from her waist. It looked like a Romanian twist of her princess dress that she once showed to Hiiro and Dorothy. Dorothy thought right about now, Usagi did not remind her of the moon goddess Selenity, instead she reminded her of the virgin goddess Diana.

Which of course, made no sense what so ever.

Usagi wore small silver earrings that dangled in shapes of a thin teardrop from each ear; on her neck was a pleasant silver necklace, which held the diamond crystal Ginzuishou at the small v of her collarbone and on her right wrist was a thin sliver of silver. Her make up consisted of almost no make-up, she had on a nice peach lipstick with some lip gloss over it and a little bit of mascara to bring out her eyes and that was it.

It didn't matter though; the little make-up was all the make-up she needed. Usagi's inner glow already made her beautiful enough for not needing it and whether or not Dorothy knew it, _her_ inner glow was starting to break through as well and maybe that was why she didn't feel the need for as much make-up as she use to.

Hiiro stood by Usagi with her arm slung through his, reassuring and comforting. Once in a while Dorothy would thread her arm through one of theirs as well for a short moment, just for that same reason. He stood handsomely in his tux (that the girls forced upon him) and was the center of admiration for many of the females surrounding them. He looked deep, dark, and dangerous just where he stood, he gave off a cold aura, which of course was why the men backed off when he glared at them for staring at either Dorothy or Usagi too long.

Finally it was their turn, and after handing the security man the invite, they stepped through the doors. Taking deep breaths (Usagi and Dorothy), they stepped into the light of the room. Standing beside them, Hiiro offered all the strength he could.

He did not know which one of them would have lost the most by the time they were done, he just knew right now; in the beginning, he was the one with the least to lose.

**.: Owari no Daiisshou : . **

Hiasobi: End of chapter one! Hehe...hides I know you all want to kill me for not having gotten to the party yet..demo its coming! Please Review and let me know if this fic is till worth continuing to you! Uh, bai ba now!


	3. Chapter Two

Dedications to **SilverRay** and my Onee-chan **CometPrincess**.

Index:  
Selenity - I call Usagi this instead of Serenity, because this is her Silver Millenium name in the Japanese version.

* * *

Chapter Two

Looking around the room, the sight blew many a breaths away. Tables were placed sparingly around the room; refreshments were station to the left of the dance floor, chandeliers lighted the room up in artificial brilliance, balcony doors were opened for pathways to the gardens and people milled around in the most spectacular clothing for the season. It was a sight straight out of the movies and books of old.

But old what? Old in history, or old in their own history?

Bitter thoughts once again filled her mind, she had faced many monsters and defeated them, yet demons of her own mind, she could never escape. The purest star was the one most open to corruption, the brightest light stood the most chance to be dimmed and the strongest heart was most often the most fragile.

She wanted to run. She wasn't ready for this. She didn't think she ever would be.

But looking to her right and seeing the people dearest to her heart, in the same state, she could not back down now. None of them were ready, but it didn't matter, they had to be strong. If even one of them retreated, the rest would fall. Their world was on a very delicate balance, she could not be the one to break it.

Not again.

Not ever again.

Taking a deep breath she stared out in front of her and spoke, " We'll meet up later."

A statement. Not a question, not an uncertainty, it was a definite.

She felt them nod, she could not afford to look at them, and she watched as the two made their own separate ways in the crowd. Hiiro going head on and Dorothy threading in, mingling back into the society she had worked so much to leave.

It was just her now.

She turned and took another breath before walking to the crowd of sophisticated looking blondes. Each looking beautiful, unique and welcoming in their own way.

" Selenity!" one of them cried out as she caught sight of her.

She smiled and dove head first into the unknown.

" Selenity! You came!" one of the other blondes squealed.

" Karen." She said smiling and nodded her head to each of them, " Melissa. Susan. Iris. Christina, and Lilth."

" My Selenity! I haven't seen you since you were a but a child, and see how much you've grown!" Susan was one of the older siblings, 9th to be 'born' and two years her senior.

" We _all_ haven't seen you since you were a child." Melissa said, sister 14, 22 months her senior.

" You haven't been coming to the reunions, it's a miracle I even recognized you." Karen lecture, sister 17, one and three quarters years her senior and twin of Iris.

" Ah, come on, I've sent letters and photos haven't I?" she said.

" Though e-mail!" Christina, sister 23, exactly one year older, said in a teasing tone. " Don't even take time to write us a real letter."

" Come on Chris," Lilth, sister 26, five moths older, rolled her eyes, " there's 28 of us, if she actually took the time to write us letters, her hand would go numb."

Christina pouted, " Well she could have written me."

" And what makes you so special?" Iris mocked, and they all laughed.

The 30 Winner children kept in touch by e-mails mostly, quick and easy to send multiples as well as less costing. In such a big family, Usagi found that she could get by with sending one e-mail a year with a few photos of her included, and not come to the reunions without having get them mad and come looking for her.

" Where have you been all those years?" Karen asked, " I couldn't even find you when I looked you up."

" That's because you looked under Selenity, Karen." Lilth said, " I found her this time, with the name Usagi."

" Yes," Karen said quietly, her eyes soft, " Father use to call her that, with her hair and all."

There was a moment of silence between the girls now, each looking at each other nervously as they did not know if Usagi knew about their father's death. Usagi knew, but they did not know that and so she did the courteous thing and did not ask.

" Well," Susan said, clearing her throat, " what name did you go under? We never did find you which family took you in, father never said. And Quatre never found the files so we could find you again."

" Tsukino, Usagi wasn't it?" Lilth said, looking at her.

" Tsukino, Usagi. Usagi, TsukinoﾁE Melissa said mildly, " Doesn't that mean Rabbit Of The Moon?"

" Yes." She answered.

Karen laughed, " It seems you have a empathy of things with the moon. Selenity, the moon goddess and rabbit of the moon."

You have no idea Karen, absolutely none. She looked away and pushed the slight tinged of bitterness away from her thoughts.

" The moon and I...have a history together." She murmured, but did not think they heard.

" Ah, well, you're back now and that's all it matters." Melissa said, giving her a wide smile.

" Hai." She said quietly to their backs as they moved to find the other members of their family.

_. : - : . _

He walked towards the group of politicians, his stride firm and unyielding, his stare fixated upon a head of dark honey color hair. He was slowly slipping back into the mold, he knew, the mold that J had sculptured for him. The mold of the perfect soldier.

His eyes became cold, drawn inwards instead of looking out, his face became a blank and the all-familiar feeling of being empty came back to him. Just when he thought he had left it all behind, the past came back to him with a vengeance.

He knew the instant those azure blue eyes saw him, they widened in shock and the owner of them removed herself from the group quickly to walk up to him. He watched removed as she made her way to him; joy playing across her face and her eyes overflowing with hope.

" Hiiro." She breathed out when she finally stood in front of him, her face in an expression of wonder.

" Relena." He replied curtly.

" You're here." Her voice was barely a whisper, almost if unbelieving that he was actually there in front of her.

Her hand moved up to touch his face, yet his voice stopped her.

" Would you like to dance?" Spoken in monotone and void of any emotions.

Her hand stilled in mid-air, stopping before it reached it destination. Her eyes searched his, only to come up with no answers, just like before.

_Before..._ Was it really the past as it was really the now? He wondered.

" Of course." Relena replied, smiling up at him and placing her and in the one he had outstretched.

Out of the corner of his eye, as he twirled the Vice Foreign Minister around on the dance floor, he saw Dorothy looking at them. Her eyes as unreadable as his were blank.

It seemed they all were slipping back into the molds the world had for them.

" Hiiro," his attention was moved back to the girl in his arms, " where have you been for the past year?"

He remained silent as her eyes skittered over his face, as if she would find clues there.

" Around." Was his grunted reply.

Her eyes dimmed and smiled sadly at him, as if she knew she would get no more out of him then that.

Yes, how they had slipped back into their molds.

Staring down at her azure blue eyes his mind flew off in different directions of what was important and what wasn't and what was expandable to his cause. Automatic, mechanical thinking that had no trace of humanity in it.

He was very fast slipping back into the past. His last non-robotic thought was, Usagi was going to kill him.

_. : - : . _

Dorothy peered over once more at Hiiro on the dance floor with Relena, before shaking her head slightly and threaded through the crowd, searching for her target. As she walked, after a short while, people started to part a way for her, in fear of her.

The changes had come back she had felt even before she had glance briefly to a side pillar that gave reflection from its metallic surface. There was a dangerous smile on her face, pleasant but hinted at things ominous, the sadistic gleam from the war had come back into her eyes and as she continued walking, her hips acquired the lusty swing from the times before she meet Usagi. The air around her was like an invisible barrier once more, and she was once again removed from the party even while she was there.

Old familiar thoughts filled her head as she nodded and smiled coolly to those passing her, in greeting. They nodded politely back or swapped harmless chitchat with her, to stay in her good graces no doubt. The people here saw her still as she was before, or maybe more precisely what she was now, as the high-powered politician she once was.

And maybe will be again, you never know.

Above the head of the man who held the currently weather conversation with her, she saw the blob of platinum blonde hair that could only belong to the one person she was looking for. She gave the man she had been talking to comment that hinted that she had to leave, and he immediately excused himself, saying he caught sight of his friends.

Ignoring the man she made her way to the front of the room, where the person she was seeking talked with another man, whom she recognized as the Prime Minister of L3. She walked up to them and standing next to the two men, she waited for them to take notice of her. They didn't seem to.

The Prime Minister and Quatre Raberba Winner exchanged words; she only listened to them with half an ear, deeming the conversation unimportant for the moment, but stored the information away for another day in her head anyway. Finally when the man had left, she was about to clear her throat and make Quatre notice that she was there, until a beaming blonde woman, one of the sisters she guessed, ran up to him with a sheet of paper.

" Quatre, Quatre!" she yelled, " Look what I have!"

" UmﾁEart of the guest list?" Quatre said lightly.

The girl blushed and glared at her brother, as the fact he stated had been painfully obvious. " I meant LOOK!"

She shoved the paper in his face and he took it to his hands and pushed it back to a readable distance, before stating mildly " It's the guest list of all the lady friends that our sisters invited."

She glared and shot words out at him, " Look down at the bottom of the middle column!"

He did, and his eyes almost bulged out of his face. Seeing this interesting face, she decided to see what it was about. Peering over his shoulder to the paper, down to the bottom of the middle column, she saw the name he was so shocked over.

Dorothy Catalonia.

Stepping back she pinched her lips together in amusement.

Quatre couldn't believe it, the girl he had been searching all over the colonies for ever since the war had been over, was right here at the party. After one year of no news of her, and her presumed disappearance that he worked so hard to find her. When the war was over, he had felt her lost soul crying out and he had so wanted to help her, yet he could not find a trace of her.

And now she was right here in the same building as him.

Right here in the same room as him.

" Mr. Winner." A familiar voice drawled out from in the back of him, which made him gulp almost painfully and turn around slowly.

Right behind him.

" M-M-Ms. Dorothy!" He exclaimed.

She stood there looking amused at the expression of his face -like he just had a heart attack- and watched following in the next few seconds as a flush climbed up from his neck to his face.

" Hello." She said demurely.

" H-H-Hi!" He squeaked back, sure that his face was as red as a tomato.

" What's that?" she asked, the very picture of polite curiosity as she gestured towards the piece of paper in his hand.

" What? This?" He said nervously as he moved the paper up and bit, " Just, uh something Jessica was showing me." He shoved he paper back hurried at his sister, Jessica, who looked extremely confused at her red as cherry brother, who grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around, " and now that she's done, she was just leaving."

She turned her head around to look at him weirdly and opened her mouth to object, but he shoved her along and she gave him an indigent glare before going on her way. " This is the thanks I get for helping him out? What kind of brother is he?" she muttered as she walked.

Her eyes twinkled with mirth out at him and her lips twitched upwards slightly as she continued to stare at the embarrassed boy whom was fiddling with his fingers nervously.

" Ms. Dorothy," he said clearing his throat and pulling at his tie, all of a sudden it felt too tight while it had felt fine a minute ago, " What brings you here?"

" I was invited." She replied.

" Oh, of course." His voice wavered and his eyes skittered here and there, searching for something to say as she stood there, in all likeliness, watching a show she really liked. " So, um which one of my sisters do you know?"

Well that about whacked her back to reality. She blinked looking at him and Usagi's words that she had spoke to her and Hiiro before they exited the car came back to her.

_We need to settle our past in order to go into the future. Just remember, I'll be waiting._

Settle our past. Looking at him now, the sparkle of laughter left her eyes and her expression turned serious.

" Mr. Winner. Quatre-"

" Hey Quatre!" a shout cut her off and she whirled around to see what she had expected, but wished all the same she hadn't.

" Duo!" Quatre's voice shouted back in relief as the blush finally started to leave his face.

" Hey man, how you been doing?" Duo said happily as he lead his other two companions towards the blonde ex-gundam pilot.

Dorothy cursed mentally as she saw the three of them. Chang Wufei. Trowa Barton. Duo Maxwell. Her mind ticked off each name, and including Quatre, they were all here. Damn, and she thought Hiiro would have had the least to deal with here. Or so she had hoped.

Standing still her thoughts flew around her head, bombarding her mind with all the different situations that could arise and didn't notice the babble Duo made with his friends.

" I think we should go and be seated at our tables now, don't you guys?" Quatre finally said after a while.

The other guys agreed and moved towards one of the closer tables and it was a moment before she blinked and saw the hand that was held out stretched to her. He stayed root to the spot, calmly waiting for her to accept, and who was she to object?

She placed a hand in his and let him guide her to the table and watched him pulled out her seat for her, the one right next to his.

" I was told that they placed me at one of the middle tables on the right side of the room." She told him, sitting down on the chair he pulled out for her.

" I'm sure arrangements could be made." He spoke in a smooth voice and even flashed her a smile afterwards.

Very brave of him. But then again, this was the man who called her kind when she stabbed him in the leg.

She decided not to think about it now and looked around for her friends instead.

_. : - : . _

Usagi was reminded why she had never wanted to come back.

Looking at Elizabeth, a wall slammed shut in her eyes and she gave her a cold look. Yes, she was cruelly reminded why she had never wanted to come back. Back to the past where some sisters loved her, and some hated her.

They blamed her, not Quatre for their mother's death. She was the last one born before Quatre, only two month older then their only brother. They blamed her and not him.

Because she was the last one 'born'.

Because she was the youngest after Quatre.

Because she was a girl.

They thought if she had been born a male, mother would have never died. And maybe it was true, for only a few days after they had found out she would turn out female as well, did their mother proclaimed that she was pregnant. If she had been a male, mother might no have gotten pregnant, and mother might not have died in childbirth.

It was all her fault mother died.

If only she had been male, if only she had been Quatre, mother would not have died. Quatre should have been the one 'born' and not her, she shouldn't have existed. If she hadn't existed, Quatre would have been taken her place, and their mother would not have died in labor.

It was all her fault mother died.

They could never blame Quatre, he was male and he was the Winner heir. No, it was her that was to blame.

She killed mother.

Elizabeth was one of the older ones, the 4th to be born; she was five years older her senior and was one of the few that had memories of their mother. She blamed Selenity for their mother's death, if she hadn't been, then mother would still be here. Mother would still hug and hold her, mother would still sing to her; mother would still be there to tell her she loved her Elizabeth and her sisters very much.

It was all her fault.

The old taunts and sneers came back to her; the hateful comment and the spiteful words from her childhood flooded her mind. It was all her fault. Her fault. Her fault. If I hadn't been for her, they would all have had a mother. Her fault.

Usagi let her eyes flutter close in pain but opened them to stare up at Elizabeth coolly when she felt Melissa's hand settle on her shoulder, offering support. Melissa had known it would be hard for her.

Elizabeth had been the terror of her childhood, spitting spite and hate to the young girl even before she had known how to speak. Elizabeth had been five the time Selenity was born, and had been happy for another baby sister to love, until two months later their mother died in giving life to Quatre. Then she had begun to hate her.

She couldn't hate Quatre, he was the heir they had all waited for, and he was the one that would look after and inherit Winner Corporations when he grew up, if he had not been born, all would have been lost. So the one before him had been blamed for a deed she hadn't had any part in and didn't understand.

It hadn't been just Elizabeth either, others -sisters younger than Elizabeth- blamed Selenity for not being able to have any memories of their mother to keep while Elizabeth had blamed her for stealing away the mother she could only vaguely remember.

Even now Melissa could feel them losing Selenity more and more beneath her hand. She squeezed her younger sisters shoulder, but got no reaction from her.

She cursed Elizabeth for it all.

For all the years of her life with the Winner sisters, Selenity had felt unwanted. Always told she was at fault for a deed she had no clue about and hated because of that. Elizabeth had been one of the older ones, if they hadn't shared her opinion; they were too scared to object to them.

And so, having no one to play with and always alone most of the time, Serenity had always been a shy and reserved girl, even around her family. Especially around her family. When she had come to the reunion, coming up and greeting them like that, she had such high hopes of seeing the girl they never knew but always knew had been inside. Now, she could already feel Serenity withdrawing back into herself.

" Let's go find Gwen." Melissa said quietly.

But Selenity surprised, instead of turning away from their sister, she looked the older sibling straight in the eyes instead.

" No." she said.

Melissa looked at Usagi surprised, but she ignored it. Elizabeth had dominated her childhood, spiting her, hurting her with the words that just seemed to forever flow out of her mouth. It if hadn't been one thing, it had been another. Her hated hadn't seemed to end at blaming her for their mother's death; she had hated her for simply _being_.

But she wasn't the scared five-year-old anymore, who knew what every single word that came out of the silver polished mouth meant and got hurt with every syllable. Taunts, jeers, rude insults, swears, almost anything that expressed hatred. They had trailed after her little running feet even when she was out of her sister's sight. They had made her feel unwanted, unneeded, and always unsatisfactory.

But she didn't need her family's approval of her anymore, she had moved on. She wasn't going to turn around and walk away from this fight. It was high time this scored was settled, by the time she left back for the Earth; she was going to lay this past to rest.

But this was not the time.

Staring up at Elizabeth, she knew this was not the time for battle. Quatre, her little brother wanted this reunion to be a happy event, and she wasn't going to spoil it by making a scene. Time would come soon enough.

" I'm not going to back down this time Elizabeth," she said to her sister, " I've grown up. I've changed. I know better now. I'm not going to let you blame me for your grief."

She could tell that both her sisters were startled at her words, but she just turned and walked away. There were other things to do and other family members to talk to, maybe she cold even talk one of them into taking her to father's and Iria's graves to pay her respect.

Walking around the room, she could see Hiiro on the dance floor talking to Relena and Dorothy sitting right by her brother Quatre. They were taking on their past head on, and she approved. She was once again shown the extents of their courage and she couldn't help but to feel proud of them.

She was about to make her way towards Dorothy, when a hand landed softly on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the face of one sister she would always welcome.

" Haruka!" she cried and hugged the older woman around the waist.

Her sister patted her tenderly on the head and her eyes gazed down at her gently, " I saw you talk to Elizabeth."

She was silent for a moment before she spoke, " Yeah."

Haruka nodded and looked up towards the table where she was headed, " Going to meet up with your friend and to say hi to your brother?"

" Yup!" Usagi said cheekily, " You coming?"

" Sure." Haruka replied.

" Oh, where's Michiru? And Setsuna and Hotaru?"

" Oh, they're around here somewhere, mingling...

_. : - : . _

Dorothy was getting annoyed - no exasperated - no just plain _pissed_. Sitting here at the table listening to Duo Maxwell jabber on and on about who knows what and asked her unlimited amount of questions, she was starting to get ticked.

Damn, doesn't he ever stop _talking_? She thought to herself. Somebody, _anybody_ please help me!

Out of the corner of her eye as she answered another one of ex-gundam pilot 02's questions, she saw Quatre's lips twitching. He knew she was getting frustrated and was _enjoying_ it, the god damn S O B! She grounded her teeth together and smiled to the best of her abilities with a twitch in her left eye.

Somebody help me! She begged.

Then she blinked, coming towards them on the left were Usagi and Haruka, but on the right, Hiiro and Relena was making their way to them as well. An evil evil little smile came to her lips and a smug glint appeared in her eye.

So you like seeing me to get ticked huh mister Quatre Rebarba Winner? She thought, well you've ad your fun. Now it's time to have mine.

Lazing back to her chair and letting her face take on an amused expression, she opened her mouth and said, " Looks like Mr. Yui finally plans on joining the party."

She pinched her lips to suppress a wide grin as the all the ex-gundam pilot gentlemen at her table, nearly snapped their own necks to stare in shock and dumbstruck faces at her male housemate.

Evil evil Dorothy, She thought as she watched in satisfaction as Hiiro Yui finally reached the destination and in his own almost detectable way, squirmed in his seat uncomfortably at the attention. Hmm, seems like Usagi's rubbing off on me.

**. : Owari No Shou : .**

Hiasobi: End of Chapter. Sorry for taking so long on this chapter, but I had a writer's block and so much homework for the last week or so AND I'm working on my site. Oi, so much _work!_ The next chapter might take a while, but I'll try ot get it out as soon as possible!  
Decided to continue this fic. Do you guys know you can get very violent? owie...  
Please review!


	4. Chapter Three

For my **Allure-nee-chan** who went on a updating craze and made me feel guilty for not doing the same.

Index:  
Haruka Sailor's Uranus' janpanease name  
Amara Sailor Uranus' english dub name

* * *

Chapter Three

Their world was teetering.

As they stared at each other around the table, the reality they had worked so hard to achieve was slowly falling apart. And there was no way for them to stop it. As each wall and roof fell apart, as each minute and second ticked by, the world as they knew it was collapsing unto itself.

Again.

It was always again.

Change came upon the humans far more times then they could accommodate to. In the end, they could only adapt to it as much as they possibly could and hope the rest would come out okay.

Pillars were crumbling, buildings were falling down, windows were shattering like the glass they were, and the foundation that had took so much time and effort to construct, was slowly destroying itself.

Their world was being torn to pieces. Again, for the same reason as last time.

She looked round the table with sad dim eyes that fell down to her plate as they touch Prussian blue and she felt Haruka squeeze her hand gently in comfort. She could only smile at her plate and hope their world would last just a bit longer, because this reality might very soon turn into a nightmare.

And again they were standing in the middle of ruins.

_. : - : . _

" Hiiro!" Duo cried and launched himself to his feet.

Hiiro ignored him and side stepping the tackle, pulling out the closest chair for Relena to sit while the others either rolled their eyes or sweatdropped at Maxwell.

" So nice of you to join us Mr. Yui." Dorothy said in a -almost- purr when Hiiro finally took a seat for himself.

" Yeah Hiiro ol'buddy!" Duo exclaimed from his place at the floor. " Haven't seen you for such a long time, what have ya been up to? Where ya been? How are ya?"

" Fine." He grunted and ignored the rest of Duo's questions.

" Ah, Hiiro." Quatre said smiling.

" Yui." Wufei nodded curtly.

" Hiiro." Trowa said in greeting.

He only nodded back in reply. And then everything clicked into place.

" It's been so long Hiiro." Quatre repeated Duo's words, " It's nice to see you again, you haven't been keeping in contact."

" It's Yui." Wufei said dryly, " What did you expect?"

" Wishful thinking that's what." Duo half-joked, " That's all we can ever do concerning Mr. Perfect Soldier here ain't it?"

Trowa gave a half-smile and Quatre cheeks acquired a faint pink. " Duo!"

Dorothy smirked at Hiiro, but something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes and turned it into a real smile.

" Amara!" Quatre called out, jumping to his feet. " You made it!"

The others turned around at the commotion and watched as a blond couple made their way over to them. They both wore white, one had incredibly long golden hair tied to the two sides of her head with streamers flowing out and she wore a beautifully stylish dress. The other wore a white tux almost like that of Quatre's and had short sandy hair that was cut into a coup. They both smiled at the blond ex-gundam pilot's outburst and two shades of blue lighted up on him.

" Why yes," Haruka, the one in the white tuxedo with the coup cut and sky blue eyes said, voice think with sarcasm. " I actually have time for my family after all in my busy busy schedule of fame."

Quatre smiled, but then locking eyes with the female by his older sister's side, his blue orbs widened. Seeing his reaction Haruka smiled and nudged the other blonde up front, " You remember her don't you Quatre-dear? Our shy, small,"

" Selenity." Quatre breathed. " Is that really you?"

" It is." She replied in a small voice then smiled, silver blue eyes shining on him once more since so long ago. " Long time no see brother Quatre."

Quatre couldn't control himself; he rushed past the table of friends and engulfed the tiny girl in his arms. " Selenity! Selenity! You're really here!" He held her back at a small distance so he could look her over and the girl took this opportunity to gasp for breath before she was once again held tightly against his body. " You've grown so much! When I couldn't find the papers that Dad had prepared for you and when I couldn't locate you anywhere, I was so scared and I looked and looked but I still couldn't find you and-"

" Mr. Winner," A purr came floating behind them, " you're blabbing."

The Winner Head flushed and turned his head around to look towards the table and was meet with mirth-filled eyes. Those blue-jade eyes twinkled up at him behind playful lashes, " You're choking her too I think."

" Oh!" He let her drop to the ground harmlessly and turned totally around and flushed under those mocking jade eyes.

" Hey, why don't you introduce us brother?" Haruka jabbed him in the ribs lightly.

" Oh yeah!" Flushing even more he gave out introductions, " Guys these are my two sisters, Amara and Selenity. Selenity, Amara these are my friends, Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, Trowa Barton, Hiiro Yui, Miss Dorothy Catalonia and Miss Relena Peacecraft." Each person nodded and smiled-gave some confirmation- to their names as they were introduced.

" Sister?" Duo gawked at the short hair, tall framed and dressed in a tux sister.

" Maxwell!" Wufei humphed annoyed, " It's impolite to stare."

" Ah I'm used to it." Haruka said, " and Yes Mr. Maxwell, I am his sister."

" I didn't mean no offense or nothing," Duo said nervously, " it's just that you look, I mean your dress, tux-"

" None taken." She reassured him, " Like I said, I used to it."

Quatre literally beamed, " Sit, sit! Here let me go pull up some more chairs and inform the servant that there will be more additions to our table. Sit and let's talk. I'll be right back."

The newly introduced people smiled at each other with polite smiles and smothered laughter at the over eager Quatre who nearly tripped over his own two feet trying to get chairs from one table to the other. The table of old friends and new acquaintances settled themselves down for the night on this busy round table. No intimate conversations or deep revelations were going to be revealed, not with strangers across the table from them.

Polite conversation and appropriate carefree smile along with safe subjects was the menu of chitchat for this meal. A breath of fresh air and a sigh of relief to tense minds who had all come prepared for mind games and a battle of wills.

" It's been a while since I've last seen you Dorothy, how have things been for you?" Relena asked the long hair pale blond.

" Just a bit of this and that," she answered, " nothing special really. I've been on...vacation for the last while."

" Vacation's good." Duo chirped and turned towards his black haired friend, " You hear that Wu-man? I think that's a new word for your vocabulary."

As always, the Chinese ex-gundam pilot rose to the bait from the sound of his unwanted nickname. " I simply enjoy my work Maxwell. Why don't you try actually working once in a while instead of trying to get out of it? You're too much of a loose cannon Maxwell."

" Ah come on Wu-man," the happy lad chided, " I'm just having fun."

" How is the scrap yard doing Duo?" Quatre asked, intervening before an argument took place. " Business is going successful?"

" Of course Q-man!" the braided boy answered, " It's booming!"

" That's good to hear." The silent Trowa spoke for the first time.

" Yeah well, I don't doubt the Winner Corporation is doing well either. I swear, you're a trillionaire Quatre!"

The blond blushed, " W-well business has been going quite well."

" You mean it's TRUE?" the cross wearing ex-pilot exclaimed bug eyed, " I was just shooting in the dark at that one, but TRILLIONaire?"

" But of course Mr. Maxwell." Came Dorothy's amused voice, " Did you ever doubt the Winner wealth?"

" It's 2.53 trillions in total wasn't it, in the last counting?" Wufei spoke up, " There was a report on the Preventors office, for soldiers to recruit to protect your companies."

The blonde boy blushed at the attention. " Ah-no, I mean that's not it-the amount is-I mean-"

The silvery blond girl next to look down at her plate, eyes dim and voice low, " I didn't know." It was another factor that proved her how distant she was with her family once more. " I guess I haven't been keeping track."

" Ah!" the brother looked over to her, " There are some reports you could read. It'll get you back up to date. I get a new one every month and it summarizes the developments quite well. Although they try to keep the reports short as possible, reading through it all takes about 5 hours or so."

Haruka stared, " You mean you actually read it all? _Every_ month?"

" Well as the Winner Heir-"

" _5 hours_?"

The brother turned into beet and some could even say his platinum hair was turning red at the root too.

" _Every month_, Mr. Winners?" Dorothy added in her share, eyes twinkling.

He willed himself not to give into the impulse of ducking and hiding somewhere.

" It is his duty as the head of the Corporation to know what is going on in his company." Trowa came to his friends distress call and received a grateful smile for his efforts.

" But _every month_ for _5 hours_? Bit too much free time on your hands Quatre?" Duo joked.

" Maxwell, reports are reports. They need to be read sooner or later." Wufei the Chinese ex-pilot retorted in an annoyed tone.

" Hn."

" What! No fair, Hiiro's siding with Wu-man!"

" Don't call me that!"

And thus, the evening was passed by on the wings of light small talk.

_. : - : . _

They were the last to leave, or more precise they were the ones that couldn't leave yet. The scattered group walked around the now empty room waited for the host to finish saying goodbye to all the guests before he turned and walked backed to them.

" Ah, sorry for the wait you guys." The Winner Heir apologized to his awaiting two sisters who stood by his side.

" It's alright little brother." Haruka replied, " Now what was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

" Well, I was wondering where you two were staying?" he branched out timidly, " I haven't seen you two for two years," words directed at the older of the two sisters, " or more." Words directed at the long silvery blond girl who smiled shyly at him. " I was wondering if you guys could possibly stay at the mansion...?"

" Hmmmm?" the short haired blond scratched the back of her head, " I don't know Quatre, I'm staying with my f-friends." The last word changed hastily in order not to hurt the boy, " A sudden change of plans might not be good."

" Oh," disappointment was lightly detected, " and...?"

The silvery blond bit her inner lip at the hopeful eyes turned her way, not sure how to decline but not wanting to hurt him either.

" I...I'm kind of booked at a hotel..."

Blue eyes light up.

" But...it's deposit only..."

He looked so crestfallen she had to hold herself back from changing her mind and agreeing.

" Well I guess it can't be helped." He said defeated and Haruka hid a smirk.

" Well I got to go now." The elder sister said and wave them good-bye starting out the door.

" You'll come see me again before you leave right?" the young boy yelled after the disappearing form.

The only answer he got was another wave that signaled she heard and the younger of the two older sisters giggled, typical Haruka.

" Typical Amara." The brother remarked.

The sister stopped laughing and the light in her eyes dimmed once more. She hadn't noticed it at first, but now she did. Amara...? She hadn't heard that name since so long ago, and had never called her Uranus protector anything else but Haruka in her civilian form. She had never thought of Haruka as anyone but Haruka either, even in her thoughts, even when she found out she was her sister. She had never felt the distance between her and the rest her family more clearly ever than now.

" You'll be coming over again before you leave also, right...?"

It took her a few seconds to recognize that she was being talked to, and she smiled at her brother. " Of course."

" Ah good." There was such relief in those words that she did not know what to think of them. " I missed you Selenity. Ever so much."

She felt the lump in her throat choke her, and she buried her face in her hands to stifle that sobs that she knew were coming. The arms that came around her trembling shoulders did not surprise her, yet she wondered why.

Why did she not take comfort upon the action so sincerely offered by her only brother, one of the first few man she had ever learned to truly love?

_. : - : . _

They stood at odds with each other, not knowing where to start, where to begin, for they were not sure where they had ended.

Or at least the girl was.

At least Relena was.

" Hiiro..." came the first shyly voiced approach, but then stopped, not knowing how to continue.

The male mentioned simply looked upon the unsure girl and waited. Azure eyes stared up at him, confused, questioning, saying things she wanted to ask but not knowing how to phrase them. Hesitantly, a gloved hand reached out towards him as if he were glass that would shatter at any given time. " How have you been?" soft words and dainty hand reached over to him, the hand landing tentatively on tuxedo-sleeved cover his arm, " How have things been?"

He didn't answer, didn't move, just stared at her. Aquamarine eyes the color of the deepest sea but with readable depths as shallow as a drying brook. Staring into those eyes, her hand started to tremble in the place of her lips, which she would not allow them to do, she felt like she was being hollowed out. Empty and bare, as more of a fleeting hope left her.

" Ms. Relena." A docile voice spoke to her from her left, and the last remaining Peacecraft left on this Earth turned around to the speaker, letting her hand drop from the unresponsive man in the process.

" Yes?" Her lips trembling as she said the word, but stopped when the acknowledgement was spoken. " Dorothy."

The lips on the cat like face curled up in some sort of contentness. You've gotten stronger while I was away Relena, she thought. " I wanted to congratulate you on achieving and maintaining world peace."

The princess of Sanq blinked, " Oh thank you, but it wasn't me who achieved it. Everyone had wanted it, and together we triumphed over the war."

" You're still as poetic as you were then." The holder of the Dermail-but-now-Catalonia fortune of millions murmured to herself.

The princess of Sanq blinked, unsure of what she heard.

" Hey Hiiro buddy." Duo said throwing an arm around his comrade, seeing his chance to talk to the ex-pilot as the Perfect Solider took a few steps away from their girl companions. " Haven't spoke, blabbered or annoyed you for the longest time. So why don't we talk?"

Hiiro warily noticed that the ex-Deathsythe's pilot's smile showed lots of pretty white teeth.

" What do we have to talk about?" he questioned in monotone.

And maybe the smile faltered for a single moment before it came back, brighter than ever, but with less teeth. Did the hunter suddenly realize that there was no prey?

" Like, how you've been? What you been doing, how things been going for you, if there's a girl in your life and if none of those suffice how about that Une lady would like to recruit us to be Preventors since Wu-man has set such a nice example of how useful we could be?" Duo made sure he loaded that last bit with a ton of sarcasm and then continued on half joking. " I'd pity the soldiers with us though. Five different personalities each with our own personality problems."

" I've been fine." He replied uninterested.

Indigo eyes locked onto him, and Hiiro wasn't sure what to make of his old war comrade. Was that exasperation in his eyes or something else...? He wasn't sure, and that bothered him to some point.

" What you been up to, we looked everywhere for you but we couldn't even find a trace. But we can't expect any less from the Perfect Soldier now can we?" Duo attempted to keep the conversation alive; " Still I wish you made a mistake like us normal people once in a while."

I make a lot of mistakes, Hiiro thought, too many.

" So how does it feel to be back with us, after so long from where ever you had been hiding?"

" I was on Earth." He said and shrugged.

Duo looked at him expectantly, and he was a bit unnerved, not knowing what the happy-go-lucky boy was waiting for. For a few seconds there was silence between the two old war comrades, before the cross wearing boy got fed up with the quiet and blew up at his own bangs in annoyance.

" So long of a time and you _still_ haven't learned how to speak more than one sentence at a time?"

Hiiro glared at Maxwell, the boy who still didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. " So long of a time and you still haven't grown up one bit." Urg, Hiiro thought, great, just two minutes in his company and I'm already infected by his immaturity.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something that made him instantly stiffen. Maxwell spoke once more to him, but he heard not once word that came out of the lad's mouth. His hand curled and uncurled into a fist in alternation as he tried to calm the rising anger within him.

He is her brother, he thought to himself, it's only naturally they do that.

Another surge of heated rising emotions and another voice within him snapped.

One who hasn't seen her for 10 years.

One who has no right to touch her like that.

One who had no right to _touch_ her.

Dorothy felt the subtle change in atmosphere almost immediately and she knew it was due to the man behind her. Hearing the silence at her back, she turned around giving no thought if Relena thought she was rude or not and stared at the man who was her housemate, slowly sinking into a brooding haze.

That was dangerous.

She could see the ex-gundam pilot 02 looking at him, confusion in the purple eyes wondering what made his friend so pre-occupied so suddenly. She followed Yui's line of sight and knew instantly what was going to happen. She could almost see the horrifying event that would once happen as soon whatever word Mr. Maxwell was intending to say as he opened his mouth, and she quickly covered the distance between her and the two of them.

" Yui." She blurted out as soon as she came within stepping distance between the two men, ignoring the surprised face Mr. Maxwell gave her.

As the slowly darkening aquamarine eyes belonging to former gundam pilot 01 looked at her, she fought the urge to swallow and wondered if she was the only one who could read the words written so plainly in the orbs.

_No one_ has the right to touch her.

Of course she was the only one who could read him like that here, or at least she hoped so, cause she'd be _damned_ if anyone could read this and if someone said something foolish. Shit, shit, shit, she thought.

This was going to be bad.

More than bad, if she didn't get them out of here soon.

She is _mine_!

She wondered if he had really growled that out loud or if it was just in her head, because she saw Mr. Maxwell jump in startlement by her side. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she gave an inward sigh of relief as her friend stepped away from her brother and she relaxed just a bit more when the ever darkening eyes of her male housemate finally stopped finding new depths.

" Ah Ms. Relena," She said twirling around, " I've seen to have forgotten the time and now it seems it is time for me to go."

Beside her, Yui muttered several stings of words incomprehensibly.

" Hiiro?" Ms. Peacecraft asked, blinking.

Please, please, please don't do anything, she prayed to whatever god that would listen.

" I better be going as well." Yui repeated, and she knew it was a hard battle to keep his voice from disregarding the monotone.

Relena's azure blue eyes dimmed in sadness, but Yui wasn't even looking at her. He just stepped past all of them and watched his lover walk out the sliding electric doors with dark eyes.

Tonight was going to be one of those nights.

She fought the thirst from her suddenly dry throat and smiled at the Vice Foreign Minister once more before she quickly nodded and walked off. She was going to have to stop off at the closest wine store and before they got back to the hotel. Or maybe she'll just call room service when she got back, didn't matter, as long as she got drunk tonight.

Staring at the rigid stone back of her friend's lover as he breezed out the front doors and right past Mr. Winner without giving him a second glance, she swallowed. She corrected herself. She was going to have to get really drunk tonight. And really fast.

" Ms Dorothy." His voice stopped her.

Turning to him and giving him the brightest smile she pushed down all those troubling emotions and watched those confused eyes of his. " It is late Mr. Winner, I thought it would be best if I left now than wait till even more later." There might have been something wrong with her grammar right there but she really didn't care, she was in a hurry and she needed to get out of here fast. " I'll come calling another time if I may be so bold. But right now, I think I have an urgent meeting I had forgotten that was booked tonight. If you may, fare well."

And she was out of there. She rushed past several people who had been waiting for the door and murmured apologies under her breath as she slipped past the whole lot of them.

Quatre watched her exit and followed her disappearing back with his eyes until she was so far gone into the dark night he couldn't see her anymore. There was something about her and Hiiro's exit. And if he didn't know better, he would have said that Hiiro was mad at him -_for what?_- for touching someone -_Selenity?_- and had gone to chase them down -_Why was his empathy picking up_-. And if he didn't know better he would have said Dorothy's hasty exit -_all these_- had been to chase Hiiro down. -_untrue feelings?_-

If he didn't know better.

And maybe he didn't, because something in his gut had wretched at the sequence of their speeding footsteps. Calling out to each other.

**. : Owari No Shou : . **

Hiasobi: End of Chapter, Please Review! Heh, and yes I do know this chapter took forever and that some of you want to do me bodily harm. Hopefully the next chapter won't take me as long -an eternity? ;p!- and will up be not so far after this one.  
Well, that's it for this update! More to come soon.


	5. Chapter Four

For all those who waited patiently for this new chapter, and my Angel-nee-chan who is never online when I am.

Index:  
Empath A person who has the power to feel what another person feels

* * *

Chapter Four

There were nights.

Nights when she shifts uncomfortably on her bed, unable to sleep. Nights when the pillow and the wall was never enough to block out the sounds coming from the next room. Nights when she would shiver and curl under her blanket and clamp down her ears not wanting to hear the screams that were not there, but in her head. Nights when she draw herself into a ball not unlike a child and mumble incomprehensible to herself and deny, deny the screams that were coming from beyond the walls.

Silent nights.

Screams of pain. Screams of pleasure. Screams of suffering. Screams of tears. Sobbing, crying, screaming until the person's throat was hoarse and could no longer make any sound at all.

Still nights.

Sounds. Sounds of metal, cloth, wood, glass, water, paper, sounds of everything coming through the not-thick-enough insulator of the wall. The never thick enough insulator that would never be able to block out the voices and soft comforting whispers, even when she couldn't hear them.

Soundless nights.

Everyone had a limit, one they would never want to pass. A line drawn not to be broken, least you suffer the consequences. A boundary for themselves that they knew must not be surpassed, for fear of what they would become.

Horrifying nights.

But what you do, if you're already there?

_. : - : . _

She couldn't get the bottle of burning liquid down her throat soon enough. She popped the cork with bare hands and claws, pealed the label off so she wouldn't have to see it later feeling guilty, and brought the rim to her lips, not caring of the flowing trail escaping her lips and down her throat.

It was too quiet tonight.

Too silent and too noiseless. It felt like she was alone in the world, even though she knew they were next door. But no sounds came from the wall connecting the two rooms; she could not hear even the sounds of their breathing, could not even feel it. She was alone tonight; her heart never felt so empty as it did on these nights.

The alcohol wasn't taking effect fast enough, it never did. She chugged down the bitter tasting fluid wishing for oblivion. She didn't want to know what was going to happen, she didn't want to wonder. Her stomach was starting to burn and she could never hold her breath long enough for her own liking.

Gasping as she pulled the bottle away from her lips, she wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. She couldn't stop her body from shivering; she placed the bottle on the ground next to her chair, uncaring if it fell over and clasped her hands together in a sign of reverence and did what she could only do. On nights like these, there was only one thing she could do.

She prayed.

Please let Usagi be alright.

No one came out of a war perfectly fine and unchanged. No one left a war unaffected in anyway.

Just like how soldiers couldn't come out of a war unscarred.

Just like how perfect soldiers never escapes from a war perfectly sane.

She was never a religious girl, but if it would save them -all of them- she would believe in anything. Her hands were pressed up tight against each other as she let her head fall to the connecting palms.

Please be alright.

She felt it then, in her heart and in the silent air that never stirred.

The screaming had begun.

_. : - : . _

Relena wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel.

He was back. Finally. But he hadn't changed one bit: the distance between them had not decreased at all. She had hoped - no - expected him to change. He had been gone for so long, the war had been over for so long. What had he been doing?

He had not changed one bit, not that she could see anyways. The coldness in his eyes, the stiff awareness in his body, down to the very last monotonous syllable he had spoken in. Nothing had changed, not one bit. She couldn't understand why she felt elated and she couldn't understand why she felt disappointed.

He hadn't changed; he was still the Hiiro that she knew.

He hadn't changed; he was still the Hiiro that she knew.

She stared blankly out the window, her emotions in a jumble, undecided. "Should I welcome you back?" she whispered, " Or curse your return?"

_. : - : . _

Usagi snuck out quietly from the bedroom door, her clothes held in a jumble in her arms. She looked back to see if he was still sleeping peacefully and he was. Closing her hand over the knob and she slowly shut the door, twisting the handle gently and letting it slide back to hear the lock click softly into place. She crept softly across the room, making sure to make as less sound as possible. As she entered the living room, she froze. Sighing and looking down at the clothes held together in her slim arms, she let them drop to the carpeted hotel floor. She looked back up to the room and raised her hand to scratch her head in frustration.

Articles of clothing littered the room; a pair pants laid lazily over the chair, shoes and socks made a path towards the direction in which she had came from, her skirt was flung over the lamp, her purse laid fallen open with her possessions spilled out across the couch and her bra hung off the television antenna.

She sighed and gave up, walking around the room she savage what was left. She picked up the bra from its hanging post and put it on, reached for the pair of panties laying on the floor, jerked the plaid shirt off the coat hanger by the closet and turning around to the pile she had left on the floor, pulled out a pair of wrinkled blue jeans. Completing the ensemble with a pair of white socks and running shoes, she took one last look of the apartment before closing the door behind her as she left.

If the weather had been as cold as it was on Earth right then, she would have had more trouble going out as she did, seeing she hadn't brought a coat with her. But the colonies had man-made weather and it seemed the ones in charge had chosen a late winter for this year. There was wind, but not too much, so her choice of clothing was alright for the short visit she had planned.

She reached the mansion a short while later, but didn't want to alert anyone of her presence, so she chose to enter from the back door. The servant's entrance, so no one would take any notice of her. She climbed over the fence with little difficulty; she was after all, a former super heroine - and will probably be again in the future. The servants' quarters were empty today as she entered; he must of known she was coming.

She crept up the stairs letting her feet plant themselves firmly on each step and crushed the carpet underneath with her shoes. There were no other noises in the house other than the sound of carpet squished under her feet. The silence allowed her to clear her mind and prepare for the event that was to come. She walked up to the top of the grand staircase and stopped; turning left she began the last steps that would take her to the floor she wanted.

The door was beautiful. Hand crafted by a master, it had to be. With their wealth, the sisters would have not settled for anything less, and their father had always been indulgent to them with his money if not his attention. Made from the best quality of wood and made into art under the hands of a true artist. Yes, the crescent moon and the stars engraved upon the door clearly showed her, that yes, this was the right room.

The door did not squeak, as she pushed it open, not that she had expected it to anyways. The servants had did a wonderful job of keeping the room tidy and clean, if they were allowed in here of course. The room had all the cheery and cute atmosphere a room for a five-year-old girl should have. Stuff toys lined the left wall, a bed fit for a princess was placed on the far centre wall, cheerful cartoon pictures hung in majestic frames along the right and the room was empty of all people.

Except for her.

And one other person.

He sat with his back on the wall, one leg stretched out in front of him, one leg tucked towards the other knee of the stretched leg with his hands crossed over on top of his foot, his shoulders were slumped and his face was turned away from her, staring at the strawberry-cream coloured wall. His eyes suggested that they might not be seeing the same thing.

Slowly, as if resigned, she walked over to the unmoving figure. Each step closer to the boy made the weight of her shoulders seem heavier and she just wanted to let them fall downwards in exhaustion.

It had been so long since the last time this had happened.

It had not been long enough since this had happened.

He still wore the tuxedo from the night before, all proper and sparkling white with barely a speck of dust on him. The only difference she could see was that he had loosened the black tie from his neck, it looked as if he had tugged at it as if he had been choking, and the top most button had been undone. His black dress shoes lay discarded - kicked off - by the side of the bed, his socks thrown on top of them.

She made her way towards the bed, stopping only when her knee bumped into the mattress. She stared down at him, her eyes starting to fill with tears. She and her heart sank in the same moment as she sat down upon the bed.

He still did not notice her.

Her hand trembled as it reached out towards him and landed softly upon his knee. She did not dare to take a deep breath in this still air, for she did not know what the reaction would be to the disturbance. So she waited, silent and still for his response.

He did not blink or he snap to attention. Instead he slowly turn his head to wards him, his eyes still looking at someplace that was not where they were and his facial expression never changed. His legs retracted towards him as his arms reached out towards her, his eyes looking up at her in a muddled haze for a moment before they dropped downwards, uncaring.

His arms encircled her waist, locked tight and his head buried itself in her lap. No muffle sounds came from him, no words of explanation or any expression of clarification. The only movement that came from him was the shaking of his body and the tightening grasp of his hands around her.

She let her hand fall to the top of his head, and gently smoothed back the hair. She let her hand glided comfortingly down towards his nape before lifting, and settling back where it had begun and did it again. She touched and held him like a mother would a child.

The rhythmic movement did not seem to calm him one bit.

It was the price of empathy. Though it was a gift to some, to others it was a curse. To know what others were feeling, to know what to do to help them, to feel what others felt. It could sometimes heal, but it could also sometimes harm. The price of knowing another's heart - sometimes better than the person themselves - came at a price.

Everything always came at a price; this was no exception to the rule.

Empathy meant knowing another's feelings. Knowing another's thoughts. Knowing what another felt. But the price of this knowing was that there was always _another_. At birth empaths always had another beside themselves in their hearts. They were never alone, thus they could not become lonely very easily, it could be seen as a gift, but that also meant they were never _alone_.

It was a concept that could only be understood by another empath.

It was always about _someone else_ and never truly only about _yourself_. Empaths were never alone in their hearts, their feelings always restricted to having to take in account of everyone else's feelings as well. Empaths could not be selfish without hurting themselves, and thus if an empathy did not learn how to block properly, it was destined they could not be selfish and could only be giving.

But sometimes, giving became too much. Always thinking about someone else became too much. Empaths were humans, and humans are selfish creatures. They cannot always think of another, sometimes they need to only think of themselves, or they would be driven insane.

" Quatre." She whispered.

A sound came from him; it could have been a whimper or a sob, before the emotions flooded her like a dam had burst open. Quickly she pulled up her shield, constructing layer upon layer as fast as she could until she could not feel the swirl of heady emotions around her and confined her own inside herself. She pulled and strained until all her emotions lay only within her own heart.

She strained until she knew no one single hole laid in her shields. She strained until she could not feel her brother within her. She strained until she knew Quatre could not feel her within him. Not one bit.

She felt it in the air, as it grew thick with the emotions pouring out of his heart. She felt it in the air as she drew small tiny breaths as the emotions around her grew so powerful that it eclipsed her own. She felt it in the air as they swirled and emptied from her brother.

And he kept pouring and expelling these feelings within his heart until he could feel himself. Until he could tell the difference that who he was from whom everyone else was. He threw out all the images, passion, sadness, joy, pain that were not his own. He threw them all out until he could feel only _himself_ in his own heart.

This was his moment she would not wreck it. This was his liberation, his release from the chains imposed upon him by his gift. For a few moments he would only be _himself_. For a few moments he would only know _himself_.

For a few moments he was going to be tainted - and for a few moments he was going to be _selfish_.

And finally she let the tears fall.

She stayed with him until his form stopped trembling. She stayed with him as he fell into a dreamless sleep. She stayed with him until his hold on her relaxed. She stayed with him until his breath was no longer laboured. And she stayed with him until he smiled contently in his sleep.

Then she fled.

_. : - : . _

Dorothy stepped on the leaves fallen to the ground, discarded by the trees. She had escaped from her hotel room sometime only after a few minutes she had woken up with the common after effect headache known as a hangover. The room had felt too stuffy and far too quiet for her and she had to get away.

She had quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed into a new set of clothes and almost ran out of there. She had missed the elevator by 2 seconds but she hadn't minded, she took the stairs instead opting for some morning exercise that included running down 18 flights of stairs.

She wanted so desperately to go somewhere where she could be warm and feel less lonely, but instead she ended up walking in the almost deserted park at the ungodly hour of 11am on a Thursday. It was very quiet and she made noise by stepping on the crunchy leaves as they covered the ground, as they were apt to do in autumn.

She had on a pair of blue jeans, orange tank top and a yellow windbreaker, finishing it off with running shoes and white socks. Simplicity had been her theme today. A stick of lip balm and a comb were in the right pocket of her jacket while a wallet with not a lot of money and her hotel keys were in the left. She hadn't really taken time with her appearance today, but she didn't really think it mattered seeing the park was almost deserted.

All the children and teenagers were off to school seeing as how it was a weekday, and the older generation had to work. Meaning the only people around were either the skippers - who would have much more fun planned than a walk in the park -, the elderly and the occasional puck or orphan. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought and swiftly pushed the thought away for a later date to think about.

She doubted the others were giving their choice of clothing any more thought than her today. Absently she had pulled out the comb and started on working out her tangles from her hair before she knew it. There weren't much, and not soon after she stuffed the comb back into her pocket but only after she had picked all the hair off of it. And leaving behind several strands of her hair as a sign of her presence, she moved on.

The air was chilly and the wind picked up a little, signalling there might be a storm in a few days. Colony weather was so easy to predict sometimes, while other times people cursed the technicians for surprising them with an unexpected heavy snow or shower. She only wished everything was as simple as the weather.

She had reached a small pond, and staring at it, she looked down to see tadpoles and fish swimming from one side of the water hole to another. There was something to be said for melancholy, but tilting her head back and looking up to the sky weren't bringing any words to her mind.

She wondered when they would be back in England. The small but comfortable house on one of the less busy streets, the pretty and pert garden filled with colours of many followers, the safe and silent neighbourhood, the tolerant and friendly people, and the life they had created away from the wars and this past. She missed it, longed for it. She wanted to go back to Earth, the Colonies held nothing but bitter memories and pain for her.

" It seems the birds are migrating to the south again." A voice commented behind her.

She whipped around to stare at the new arrival, knowing who it was before she even saw him, for she knew that voice almost as well as her own. The soft and gentle melody that played itself over and over again in her dreams, and in her nightmares so many times there was no way she wouldn't be able to recognise who it belonged to.

She gave him a half smile, it was all she could manage at the moment, and looked back up to the sky. And for sure, there were flocks of birds she hadn't noticed before, flying overhead. They formed many different patterns as they swarmed together in a crowd and navigated towards a warmer place. But she wondered where they could go, trapped in this dome of man made city floating out in space.

" What south?" she questioned.

" Pardon?" he looked at her confused.

" Where can they go," she clarified, " in this closed up environment. There is no place for them to fly to."

He blinked at her, " I suppose they usually go to the Migration Dock."

She cursed at herself inwardly for her own idiocy. Of course that's where they went, she had lived in the Colonies for 16 years of her life, she knew where the animals went. There was a special dome for the _'migrating'_ birds to go to when they _'migrated'_ for the winter located at the south end of each colony. The dome, called Migration Dock, was opened during the fall for the birds to go to and closed for the winter, only to release the birds again in the spring. Such was the pattern here in space.

" Ah, of course. How stupid of me to forget." She had been on Earth and it wonders for the last few years, she had forgotten that up here in space, nothing was the same.

Nothing was free.

But then again, she wondered who decided that birds were free. Even though they could fly as they desired, if there wasn't a branch to rest their wings, they might even regret the having wings to fly. The true freedom might mean having a place to return...

" We all do that sometimes." He said smiling.

She stared back down at the pond, and try as she might, she could not stop the emotions from taking over her heart. All the frustration, confusion, hurt, anger, pain, bitterness and the bittersweet joy she had kept at bay since yesterday, flooded her heart at this moment and she wished she were anywhere but here.

With him.

She wanted to run, away and far from here, from this person who had taken the time she had been silent to walk up and stood next to her. From this person who looked over at her with a concerned gaze, feeling the turmoil in her heart even though her face was impassive. From this boy she loved, and from this man she was scared to face.

She might have had time had she any warning her emotions would tumble so much and so fast in such a violent manner inside. She would have come prepared if she had known she would run into him. She wouldn't be here if she had known.

But she hadn't and she had to do with what she had got. As quick as she could she gathered the skills taught to her with living with Usagi for a year. Living with half-empath who was a very sensitive girl even if she hadn't had the gift, made the option of learning the ability almost a necessity.

Slowly, as fast she could, she begun building. Piece by piece, each placed with care, secure and safe, she constructed her shields. Living with Usagi had given her the choice of learning this skill; being the privacy-valued person she was, made the option necessary.

She could never be as strong as Usagi was at it, and her shields would never match up to those of her housemates, but it did the job. She created a filter if not a wall for her emotions. Instead of freely flowing inside her heart and bared naked to any empath around, they wouldn't be able to feel her emotions as if it mixed with the very air they breathed. Instead they would be able to only feel what a normal but very sensitive person would.

Which was basically nothing if you weren't staring at her and wondering about her and what her feelings were.

She concentrated on erecting her shields, as it took much concentration and was stubborn in not looking over at her companion, so she did not see him stiffen and look to her with wide eyes as he felt her slowly but surely lift the pressure of her presence on his heart.

A million things flashed by in his unreadable eyes as she was not watching. Slowly, as if a decision had come that he did not known about, he reached out towards her with his mind.

No.

Mind was wrong. He was an empath, not a telepath. His power came from his heart and not his mind, no matter how powerful it might be, or how much any one told him different, or even how many times told him his power of empathy was almost bordering on telepathy.

Even he forgot sometimes.

He showed no indication outwards on his face or his movements as he stood standing perfectly still while he steadily focused his power on her and reached - _reached_ - towards her heart. He felt her putting up shields, and as surprised by the fact he was, he wanted to test those shields. How strong they were, how long they would last. And how much power it would take for them to come tumbling down.

He pulled back, and if her expression looking inwards rather than at him, showed she had not noticed his action. He watched her carefully, questions building up in his head like snow on the ground during a blizzard. Who taught her how to crate such a shield, how did she manage to learn, and why did she feel she had to put them up.

He had felt them, only grazing over them in the equivalent of placing your hand on a wall and letting it slide carefully across the flat plane. They had felt like silk: soft, smooth, and just as slippery. Her shields rather than blocking off his power from her, discouraged them, letting it slip by like a pebble in a stream rather than a dam forcing back a river.

Her shields weren't very strong, it wouldn't take much to bring them crashing like rumbles to the ground. In fact it would take very little. It was full of holes and very vulnerable, open to attack if any empath took the chance to. Like he was taking now.

Dorothy kneeled over and clutched at her heart as a blinding pain ripped through her. She gasped for air, feeling as if she was choking as her lung constricted to the pain. It hurt, it hurt a lot. But it didn't hurt as if she had cut herself or broken a bone. This hurt was a different sort of pain.

Her heart was hurting. It made her want to cry, scream, and yell at the world's injustice. It felt like her heart was laying in pieces on the ground and no one seemed to care. It tasted like bitterness on her tongue and a balm to the darkness in her thoughts.

She felt like her heart was breaking.

It wasn't physical pain she was suffering from, it was emotional.

But this pain wasn't new. Hadn't been new to her for a long time. For about a year and a half actually. For about as long as she knew Quatre Rebarba Winner, the man standing next to her. For about as long as she loved this man standing beside her, and just as long she knew she could never have him.

The heartache was becoming almost too much. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and her body contracting in the response to the urge to cry. If she didn't take control of her body now it would no doubt begin to shiver and from there she would be undone.

She took a deep breath and got off her knees. She couldn't get her hands to unclench from the fabric of her shirt above her heart; it hurt too much to do so. She wanted her bed, her feather mattress she crawled onto countless nights for the same reason, her peach sheets she would curl herself under for a feeling of protection, and her soft pillows that she would soak with tears.

" Excuse me Mr. Winner." She said in a rush with her trembling voice.

He didn't say anything and she didn't want to look up at him. Her eyes focused on the ground beneath her feet as it disappeared beneath her, she ran. She took off in the direction the hotel was in and fled.

She knew that it was shameful.

Dorothy Catalonia did not run away from her battles.

But it would have been more shameful to her if she had let him see her tears.

She ran half-blind up the stairs and back up to her room. Her sight was begun to get bleary but she tried her best to fight back the tears gathering in her eyes. When her fumbling fingers finally got the key to open her door she rushed in as if Hell were on her heels and, quickly and violently, slammed the door shut. She locked the door and hurried to the bedroom, uncaring that her shoes were still on or her jeans were muddy from kneeling on the mud from the park, she threw herself onto the bed.

And promptly burst into tears. So consumed with her sorrow she had not noticed the man she loved had gazed after her retreating form as she ran from the park.

And the stark clarity of his eyes that could've meant anything as they stared after her.

**. : Owari No Shou : . **

Hiasobi: I know this chapter took a lot of time but all I have to say is that murder is a crime, and if you kill me you won't be getting anymore updates at ALL. (: p) 


	6. Chapter Five

This chapter is dedicated to all those who actually waited for me to get my lazy ass to finally write this. To all my fans, I'm amazed you exist (XD). Enjoy this chapter.

Index:  
Nande What?  
Gomen Sorry  
Daijouu It's all right. It's okay. I'm all right. etc

* * *

Chapter Five 

" How is she doing?" She wondered looking out of the window from her spot at the sill dressed in a pair of beige slacks and a white button up shirt. Her eyes that were the color of the sky on a clear day darkened with worry.

" She should be fine." Her partner in a simple blue knee-length skirt and long sleeved shirt smiled at her from the piano seat, " She's strong. Believe in her Haruka."

She sighed, " I do Michiru." With one more look out the window at the Colonial weather she pushed herself away, " I just can't help worrying. Sometimes Quatre and Selenity aren't the best of combinations."

The famous violinist gentled her smile as she played a scale on the ivory keys, " I'm sure they always find a solution."

Haruka raised her thumb up to her lips, bit the nail and murmured, " It's the solution that worries me."

Michiru blinked, " Nande?"

Haruka jerked her hand in the air as if to wave it off, " It's nothing. Did you meet any of my sisters last night? How did you find them?"

The aqua haired beauty knew when a change of subject was occurring but decided to let it go this time. " We met a few, they were quite taken with us in fact." She chuckled a bit in remembrance, " They liked Hotaru quite a lot, and they gave her the whole plate of deserts."

Haruka laughed, " Sounds like them to me."

" Yes, don't they?" She replied and got up from the stool, " They were everything you ever said they were." She turned her head halfway around to look at the Winner sister out of the corner of her eye, " So why do I get the sense you are worrying?"

The blond shook her head " It's probably nothing. You know how I get over Usagi."

Michiru giggled, " Indeed I do, " She opened the cupboard and took out a violin as well as a bow, " when it comes to her, you're a worrywart. Kind of like a paranoid mother hen don't you agree?"

" M-m-mother-r" she sputtered.

" Mother hen." The aqua beauty repeated.

" Paranoid?" Haruka asked.

Michiru nodded, " Very." She let her sentence drift off as she pulled the bow across the strings of the instrument in her hands, tucked under her chin and let the peaceful sounds fill the air for a while before she continued, " You didn't sit with us."

" Ah, gomen." she apologized, " Quatre got quite carried away in his joy and there was no saying no to him."

" Just admit that you didn't want to leave Usagi to face him alone."

" Ah fine, I admit it. You see right through me Michiru," the blonde put on her best puppy face, " there's never hiding anything from you."

The violinist laughed, " Like I said, a mother hen."

" Michiru!"

She laughed and let her partner silently fume while she played all her emotions out onto the string instrument.

_. : - : . _

She ran in a way that would leave her heaving, gasping, and in pain. Her shirt whipped around in the air as she turned corners and her legs pumped under her to cover the distance she so needed to put between her and her brother. She needed to get away from him, from the hurt, from all the emotions bottled inside for so long, from all the pain, joy, misery and bittersweet love that weren't hers. She needed to know just her.

God, she needed to know who she was. She was losing herself in the tidal of feelings that rocked her from the inside out. This hadn't happened to her since the last time she had used the Ginzuishou, when she had let her consciousness unite with her fellow scouts against the enemy. It had been so long since this had happened; she had thought she forgot what this felt like - almost.

She had been running for how long now, a minute, hour - many hours? She couldn't keep her mind clear of the haze long enough to think. The only thought in her mind was that she needed to run, run, run and that she was almost there.

She didn't ask herself almost where. It didn't matter where she was, as long as she was getting there.

She pushed open the door with such force it slammed against the wall and bounced off with a loud, sharp sound she couldn't hear. Her heart pounded noisily in her ears enough to make her deaf to all other sounds then those made by her body as she ran up the stairs, ignoring the elevator totally. The steps seemed to all meld into each other in one continuous red as she flew up and over them. She didn't notice any other people in the staircase of her many flights up to the top. The roof door never stood a chance as she stopped and lifted her leg up and kicked it open.

She stood grasping the railing tightly with cold bloodless hands and leaned heavily forward gasping for air. The afternoon city of Colony L1 glittered at her with its brilliance. The sun was positioned directly above the government building and white bits of fluffy clouds painted the sky here and there. The birds on the rooftops of the city took flight as a truck horn blew from somewhere on the streets below.

She did not know how long she stayed like this, she did not count how many times the streetlights changed and she did not watch how far the sun sank down since she got up here. She shut her mind off as a safety mechanism and slowly slid to the ground in an exhausted heap. She watched the tiny specks of people live their day through the metal bars. Some time - perhaps it was sooner than later - she got her energy back and tiredly pushed herself up onto her weak legs.

Her knees trembled and she bit her bottom lip. A hand reached out from behind her and before it ever made contact, she spun around and threw herself at him. She grasped the green material tightly in her small hands and bit his shoulder. She was frustrated to see it did not draw blood.

Arms came around to hold her and soothed up and down her back in comfort. " You went to him."

She amazed herself by choking back another sob; she had thought she ran out of tears already. " Yes." Her voice wavered and she buried her face into the crook of his neck. " Why doesn't it ever change?"

The arms tightened around her and pressed her closer to him. " Pain never changes. You just get used to it."

Her whole body shook in denial, " I'm not used to it." She said throatily, " I don't want to get used to it."

" You don't have to be, Usagi."

" You shouldn't be either, Hiiro."

They were silent, as they both knew there were a lot of should and shouldn't haves that were never going to change.

" Daijoubu." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince of that, but he liked to think it was her.

_. : - : . _

Duo plopped down in his couch, body sleek and shining with sweat from his morning routine. He took slow, even breaths as he looked up to the ceiling of the apartment he and Hilde shared. The silence that greeted him made him sigh and remember the petite blue pixie of a girl that was his housemate had gone out to grab a drink with the girls. It seemed she had been going out more often, not a lot but enough so that he felt it. Coming back to an empty house was still weird for him but it was not surprisingly new.

He smiled a little at the thought. A house. Not an apartment. He had to negotiate with Hilde for a long time before she had agreed. A house of their own, a place to live in of their own choosing. There had been a long process, both of them with separate ideas of what their house should be like, and he had loved every minute of it.

He pushed himself up from the sofa and stepped over a box on his way to the bedroom. It had been a month they had moved in, but they had yet to finish unpacking. Hilde and him had been both packrats when moving; they did not want to forget anything from their old apartment. Although they had been so hasty to pack, they were not in as much of a hurry to unpack. Somehow, the habit from the wars to have things prepared for a sudden move had not left them. So a month into moving and they had yet to finish taking stuff out of boxes. Not that he was complaining though as he pushed the bedroom door open.

A month and he and Hilde still slept in the same bed. The other bedroom was stuffed up with boxes so they obviously couldn't use it, and so they had ended up sharing the same bed. It was so cute of Hilde being an adult and still have childish pajamas. The first time he had seen them he could not stop the wide grin from almost cracking his face, while she pouted at him for being mean.

It's been a month and they still lived in the same room, Duo was amazed to muse. Picking up a photo on the night desk next to the bed, he smiled because this was not one of his picture but of hers. He placed it gently down, and wondered if that when they finally cleared out the other room, would she still be sleeping in the same bed as him. He wasn't exactly scared, but more unsure of if he wanted to tell Hilde that now he had become accustomed to her being in his bed, being held in his arms gently each night, if he could ever go back. He wasn't trying to ask her for anything more, just to be there when he woke up in the middle of the night from dreams and nightmares he could not remember. It was just so comforting that while he lost a great deal in the war, he had been able to hang onto something.

Hiiro's return had sparked something in him, like a sign being waved in front of his face. He was not sure what he had expected of the Wing pilot, but surely something else then what he got. Some change, less detached, a little bit less pain in his eyes - anything to prove he had tried to move on like the rest of them. It was a time of peace now; he should not be fighting a war he couldn't win anymore.

When he had gone missing at the end of the Mariemeia War, everyone had been worried. They had searched all over the colonies for him, and clean swiped every Earth record they could find. But it had been to no avail. They had waited for some sign from him, a letter, a glimpse, some sort of signal he was going to come back. When they waited and received none, they had slowly started to accept he was not coming back.

At least he had thought they did. Now he knew they had only been deceiving themselves, saying they had accepted it while in their hearts they had screamed in objection - believed he would show up one of these days. And he did. Yesterday. At the Winner dinner.

Duo went to take a shower in the connecting room, and walked back into the room as naked as they day he was born while trifling in the drawers for some pajamas. As soon as he found some passable ones he threw himself onto the bed. He didn't bother get under the covers. He just laid there on the bed and put the back for his hands to his eyes in the dark room, deciding to take a small nap while he waited for Hilde to get home.

_. : - : . _

Hilde was having a hell of a day, not yet late afternoon and she was already out at a bar with her friends. It was not such a big deal, especially since she was doing this as a favor for one of her friends, but she really had hoped to get back home before it was too late to cook dinner and she would have to suffer for Duo's choice of take out. She sighed and took a sip of the peach colada she had ordered.

" I still can't quite believe he returned." Sally said across from the table.

" Me neither." Catherine agreed.

Hilde said nothing and looked out of the corner of her eye at the one they had come to the bar for. The girl had been quite quiet on the way to the place, not making much noise when they dragged her away from her work, and hadn't said a thing yet since she had ordered her drink. She felt a pang of sympathy for the pacifist princess who seemed so far off from the smoky interior of the pub.

The girl bobbed her head in accord with the other two and for the first time in 15 minutes, spoke. " The question is how long he's staying. If he's going to stay."

She found herself silently agreeing. Yeah, that was Hiiro. Never staying in one place too long. Never forming any attachments.

" A few days probably." The voice on her right murmured. She looked towards the golden wheat haired blonde, whom they had found checked in a hotel they were passing on the drive there. She had been just inside the glass doors, seemingly talking with one of the hotel managers about closing off the roof for a while.

Dorothy Catalonia always got what she wanted, but Catherine Bloom and Sally Po had a stubborn streak a mile long. When they had set her eyes on the girl and decided she needed a drink as well, they hadn't been much Dorothy could have said to get out of it. Apparently this was the second outing of the day for the girl, so Hilde could not fault the tired eyes she had.

" Yeah," Sally said looking off to the side, " most of us are only staying for a few days. We've still got work to do."

" He changed a bit." Catherine mused. " Hiiro I mean." Like she could have been speaking about anyone else.

That had Relena give her the skeptical eyebrow from the side. Hilde hid her smile behind the pretense of taking another sip of her drink.

" He changed a lot." Dorothy voiced softly.

That made Relena looked at the lighter blonde. " What do you mean?"

Although Relena was confused, Hilde found herself in accord with the other girls. Something had changed in Hiiro Yui. On the outside everything was the same, but on the inside something was different. Something that could not be seen by them, only felt. It was a small thing, like how wars living violently in a soldier, to a soldier living violently in the time of peace. She watched Dorothy shrug and sulked into her seat. She sighed again, she had a feeling tonight's menu would be Chinese food. It was a shift that only those that had been soldiers or had fought could detect; she could not fault Relena - a pacifist to not be able to understand so easily.

_. : - : . _

Quatre opened the door to the mansion, nodded at the maids getting changed and just starting their shifts. His mind was preoccupied, and often like when it was, he moved towards the music room. He moved inside the room and made sure he locked the door. He needed some peace - thinking time to sort out everything in his head. The piano lay untouched and the other various instruments were left unbothered as well as he made his way to the windowsill. He sat on the wide ledge and propped his legs up onto the sill.

He gazed out the window with his chin in one of his palms and let his mind drift. He felt like sighing when his thoughts came to the topic of his sister, Selenity. There had been so much he had wanted to tell her, so much he had wanted to share, and he had wanted so much for her to share her life with him. She had been gone for a good amount of years and although he had recognized her he had felt she wasn't the same person he used to know. Given, it had been years and she had grown up, but still it left a pang in his heart to think that his once closest sister was a stranger to him again.

Because of the war. Because he had been a gundam pilot. Because he had changed and killed people and wasn't the same person who she had known before either.

He put his face down in his hands and wanted to cry. He wished so much that he could turn back time, so that everything was that same again, so that he could change his decisions, so that his father and Iris was still alive and not dead because of him.

That was another thing, he was not sure if Selenity knew about their deaths. She had not attended their funeral, since they could not find her still at that time, and he didn't know how he would tell her if she didn't know. Father had always loved all his children, trying his best not to make anyone feel excluded or was being treated unfairly for any reason - he had been a good father and in return all of his children loved him back. Quatre wasn't sure how he would handle Selenity's breakdown if she had one.

Especially, he thought, since she was extremely delicate right now. At that thought his heart felt heavier, yet lighter than he had felt for a long time. There was guilt, guilt for what he had always required of her as the only other strong Winner empath. To have her block out her existence from his powers so he could unload, all those feelings and pent up frustrations from the people he had touched since the last time he had seen her.

He knew it probably hurt her, since she wasn't as powerful as an empath as he was, and her shields were probably not strong enough to withhold the whole rush of emotions without a backlash. But he couldn't stop it - he needed her to be there for him. It felt so aggravating living with pent up emotions that couldn't go anywhere, because to unload it near anyone without proper shielding could kill them, and to unload it when there was nobody around would only draw the emotions back to him.

Selenity had always had a way to deal with it, he had never known how though, just that either she was stronger than him to be able to endure it all or she found a way to dispel the emotions he couldn't. He was always tempted to ask, but also tempted to stay silent. He had always chosen the second option, because he couldn't stand the thought that Selenity would leave him if she thought she wasn't needed anymore, because the company of another empath was rare and a hard thing to find. He felt less lonely, less different and less inhumane when he was around Selenity. He needed her because she made him feel like he had a right to exist like he did, being able to feel another's emotions and invade their privacy unintentionally.

Thus the guilt, but along side with the guilt he was a bit ashamed at the joy that accompanied it with the thought his sister was home again. Back where she belonged. Back where he needed her. She had been gone for so long, and it had hurt to be so careful around everybody for everyday of his life onward. It felt like he was being a hypocrite, he gave them unconditional trust until they proved they were unworthy of it, but he could not let himself open to them in fear that it would hurt those he cared about. He was always on guard, aware and alert for signs of his control of his power was flexing and if he needed to shield that part of him away even farther from the people he was with. It had felt so lonely; having to keep every emotion in and everyday had been exhausting. No one had a proper shield around him, so it had been up to him to make sure his power was tied up nice and tight.

That thought made him pause though, because now he had one person he knew that has a proper shield except for Selenity. The one he saw in the park today, the girl who had once stabbed his thigh and pierced his heart with her hurts; Dorothy Catalonia. She had looked so beautiful and lonely when he saw her on his stroll, staring up at the birds and the gaze in her eyes drawing him closer. There had been something in the way she looked up at the winged mammals that had to have him understand.

She had looked so normal in her clothes, the first time he ever saw her with jeans and sport shoes. The tank top and windbreaker had blended nicely to the autumn colors and the whole ensemble had screamed regular teenage girl. Had screamed she had been able to move on after the war. Had screamed that she had succeeded where he and his friends had failed. She was living a normal life, being a normal teenager now ... _no_ she was a normal teenager now. Everything had reinforced that thought, slamming into his head like a punch in the gut.

Except for the look in her eyes. Her eyes spoke of maturity and experience no normal teenager would have. And she had looked so heartbreaking staring up at the birds, longing, and lonely. It was the last that had moved him towards her and comment on the things that seemed to have reminded her of something of relevance.

Her surprise at his arrival as expected, and her rush of emotions that invaded his heart as their conversation progressed was nothing new, every time he talked to someone; he took their emotions into himself. But when she blocked off most of her emotions from him and managed to rein in her control so he couldn't feel a lot, that was a pleasant surprise but when he felt shields going up, carefully and slow, but also confidently, he had been shocked.

His heart had jumped. He had extended his power to test if what he was feeling was true, and it was. Smooth and silky shields being miraculously constructed in front of him. How she went about the process smoothly said this was something she could do at anytime, it was a skill she had acquired.

He had been shocked, surprised, excited, and hope had rose in him like it did when a child was to receive it's wish on Christmas Day underneath all that wrapping. And that was what he did, he tore away the wrapping, wishing to know if what was inside was as magnificent as he had hoped and imagined. He wasn't sure if it would have fit his expectations since he had had no precious hopes and had never imagined it possible. It was like a star had been offered to him from the very Heavens.

He felt like a beggar that had just been handed a silver platter.

He had tried to read her once the shielding fell away, but she had ran away so soon after that he did not have a chance but graze the top. Her heart had been a tumble of emotions, rolling around in a bundle and swirling like colors did when poured into whirlpools.

He touched his chest with one hand, at his heart. He looked into himself at the small swirl of emotions he had gotten from her and held it tight in his grip. He couldn't organize her feelings for her, but he wanted more than this small touch. He needed more. He needed to understand this miracle, and the reasons of how and why was it given to him. But also this was his miracle.

_Dorothy_, he thought, _is my miracle. I'm not going to let you go Ms. Catalonia. You're my miracle._ Mine.

_. : - : . _

Trowa was sitting at his desk inside his office at Preventor Headquarters. The keyboard made soft clicking sounds as his fingers pushed down on the keys, and his eyes stared at the screen unfazed. Page after page of information and script came up on his command, and when met with barriers, he simply overrode them with a few small words that consisted of a Preventor name and pass. Every barrier fell in front of him, and he continued on unstopped.

He was intelligence gathering; being in peacetime didn't mean that it was going to last without effort to make it stay that way. Companies were checked up on, mecha production warehouses were surveyed with care and abandoned places were looked into. Overlooking a small thing now could mean a war for tomorrow.

Or that's what he told himself as he browsed through files after files of categorizations and profiles. He was looking after the peace, as was his job, as a Preventor - a part-time Preventor, but still a high level will not be challenged and valuable Preventor. The ex-gundam pilots were all given high stations, because anything less would only be putting their skills to waste. Lady Une knew how to utilize her men and their talents, it was a shame to waste any when they were hard to find.

He was looking through the maintenance of companies, which used to produce war weapons now converting to other means for income. He was looking through the files of the employees and their checkbooks for any large amount of money that gave no explanation or ties to how it was obtained. He was tracking down any rebels that might prove to be dangerous for the future.

There was a reason for what he was doing. There was a logically reasonable motive behind his actions. It was his job, what he was paid to do. And it did not matter that most of the files he was pulling up had profiles of many executive members and employees of companies with blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Their appearance had nothing to do with the fact of what he was searching for. He did not see any connection with what he was doing, and the faces he was seeing to the ones of his friend's sisters or to the one face that was locked up in his memory.

No, he was not searching for anything except the obvious. He was just doing his job, and after scrolls and scrolls of digital pages of blonde haired and blue-eyed girl popped up, it was his duty to keep going. He was paid to do this, it didn't matter that he was tired, and it was after hours and he was working over time. It was only logical he finished up his loose ends here at the office before going back to the circus. He might have to be here all night but that was worth the price of his sleep.

He was being relied on; it was his duty to check up on the companies san industries. He was not searching for anything in particular, but only what was needed of him. He paid no more attention to any of the lists than another; this was a regular workday for him. His friend would just have to understand he was not going to make it for their ritual of afternoon tea today, his many blonde, blue-eyed sisters could keep him company.

No he was not looking for anything, he did not miss his lunch break, he did not ignore the bell for the end of the day shifts and he was not becoming rapidly tired but still refusing to give up.

" Trowa."

That was not Catherine's voice. He looked up to see Wufei standing next to his desk, holding two steaming cups of sweet smelling coffee.

" You've been at it for a while now." The Chinese boy said, handing him a cup. " Maybe you should take a break."

He accepted the drink gratefully and stood up. The office was empty save for the two of them, everyone else having left at the bell. When he looked out the window, he was surprised at the colors that met his eyes. " Its already dusk."

He could see Wufei nod out of the corner of his eye. " Yeah, we've been here for some time now."

They each took a sip of the gentle soothing liquid. " I didn't notice."

" Neither did I." His friend commented. " What are you doing anyways?"

He shrugged. " My job."

Wufei didn't lift his eyebrow or stare at him, only nodded again. " So was I."

" Another day past."

" And another will come Barton." The name still made him feel something after all this time.

" How long will this peace last us?"

His friend shrugged, " As long as we make it I guess."

" And how long is that?" He questioned.

" As long we want it to."

" And how long will that last?"

They remained silent after that, standing in the room, savoring their drinks as the colony turned away from the sun and slowly light up the top of the dome with a clear view of the stars. Once, they would have not questioned this. They would have not cared, nor have known. Now, the silence spoke of things both left unvoiced.

**. : Owari No Shou : . **


	7. Interlude

Dedications: To my Usa-Onee-chan. Glad to have you back and writing.

* * *

Sanctuary: Haven - Interlude 01 

Chains do not always have to be physical things; it just has to tie you down, lock you up, and restrict you from moving. Whether the ties that bind you are solid material or ropes around your heart, only you know. The good, solid, hard, metal chains are easily recognized and seen, but the ones in your heart can be obscured, invisible, denied. And hurt a whole lot more.

Ties that bind.

Ties that break.

Once recognized, it is hard to ignore those restricting, painful chains on our hearts. Once seen, they will refuse to be ignored. But after that, it is still up to ourselves to figure out if these ties are the ones people have over us, making them powerful, or if they are self-inflicted. Pain, that we refuse to give up because it has become addicting.

_. : - : . _

She was singing - singing and humming as she stroked his silky velvet brown locks. It did not matter that her each of her legs were tied up with a rope and attached to one of the bottom bedposts. It did not matter her ankles were itching from rope burn and her body was beginning to turn black and blue at various places. It did not matter he gripped her around her waist like he was never going to let her go. And it did not matter that his face was pressed up into her neck while his tears trickled down her body.

" Gomen. Gomen nasai. Gomen. Gomen gomen gomen. Please forgive me. Please forgive me."

She ran her fingers through his hair and continued humming softly. She wrapped her arms around him and slid her hands down his back in slow sensual timing. She loved the slow shuddering breath he took in and the knowledge that it was she who made him lose his control like this. His hold on her tightened even more and his arms drifted up her back in response. His lips trembling as they caressed the skin of her neck and trailed up to her ear, whispering for forgiveness the whole time.

" It's alright." She told him, turning her head to kiss his forehead in a loving gesture. " You can love me."

His eyelashes fluttered closed and his body positioned between her legs, surged up. She gasped, and he covered her lips with his. He moved passionately and deliberately, trying to devour her with his mouth and claim her with his body.

" Mine. Mine. Mine." He whispered to her as he slid up and down their sleek bodies. " Mine. Mine."

Her muscles were tensing and her nails dug into the flesh of his back. He didn't really care as he watched her expression when her body arched towards his. He watched in wonderment as he felt her whole body strain, and she gasped in frantic breaths for air. He covered her mouth again and continued his rhythm.

_Mine. Mine._

" I love you." She said writhing below him.

Good. He thought, good.

He kept going, assaulting her senses and driving her wild. He couldn't seem to stop and she didn't want him to. The continued like this until time had stopped meaning anything to them. The world and its limitations meant nothing as they reveled in the feeling of each other. Nothing existed for them but each other, in all the ways that counted.

She moaned as he let his hand wonder, glomping and groping wherever he wanted. He trailed a path of saliva down her throat and she hissed when squeezed her breast almost painfully. She bit his shoulder and he slammed into her. Their lovemaking was never loud in the way of the way of flesh hitting flesh. Their bodies always made contact very silently, but they made up for the lost sounds by breath and strained voices as they called out to each other. Screaming obscenities and moaning in half pleasured pain.

If it hurt or scarred, they didn't care. If it confused and mystified other people, they didn't care. If it frightened or repulsed anyone, they didn't care.

A perfect world didn't exist. They knew that.

_. : - : . _

" Hey Usagi," Dorothy said from her spot at the table, sitting in a colorful lavender sundress patterned with light lilies and bare feet, to the blonde standing next to the counter dressed in nothing but a men shirt that covered her to mid thigh. " Where are we going today?"

" Hrm..." Usagi hummed as she turned around from staring out the kitchen window that faced the backyard, where a certain shirtless housemate was outside mowing the lawn. " Did you want to go somewhere fun today?"

She snorted, and replied with thick sarcasm. " No of course not."

" Hrm..." Usagi said again turning back to the window and stared out silently for a moment. " Isn't it nice we found this place? So nice of the owners to rent us the house for the week."

" Well we only paid them a month's rent for it." Dorothy muttered under her breath.

Usagi's lips twitched upwards just the smallest bit, but no other signs showed that she heard the blonde. Standing here like this, it was hard to believe the world was anything but peaceful - it was too bad they knew better. " Yeah, well."

Dorothy smiled and tilted her head to observe her friend. " How about we go to the amusement park today?"

"Amusement park?" Usagi asked intrigued.

" Yeah." She answered, " I want to try the new roller coaster they've been advertising."

" Hm..." the ex-heroine hummed, considering. " Well, I have been craving for some cotton candy..."

The other blonde silently rolled her eyes, " Like you've craving every other junk food out there, right?"

A tongue war was about to be announced between the two girls, if at that instant the backdoor didn't open to admit the glistening, dripping, sweaty body of one ex-Perfect Soldier. Hiiro shook his head to cool down and reach for the towel by the counter. Both girls watched him with interest.

Usagi raised an eyebrow. " Among other things."

Dorthy turned towards her, and she had to admit the hungry look in her friends eyes had nothing to do with cotton candy anymore. She watched with interest as Hiiro threw the towel around his shoulders and started dabbing his forehead with the cloth, looked up to see them, and froze. She enjoyed the way his eyes slowly slid from her to his girlfriend, and back again with a frantic gaze slowly growing behind the surface. She threw back her head and laughed. She pushed herself up from her seat and walked out of the kitchen.

" You win Usa." She said as she passed under the doorway and laughed again when she heard the sound of a body hitting a body and a masculine 'Hupmh!' sound.

She whistled as she walked down the hall and towards the front door. She tucked her feet into simply strap sandals that went well with her sundress and walked out the door to do some wondering for a while. The sun was shining, there was a pleasant wind in the air, and she could hear a faint giggling coming from the direction she had come from and a soft closing of a door. There were some joys in this world she would never ever trade for anything.

_. : TBC : . _

Author's Note: I know I said I would have this done a LONG time ago, but things kept popping up. Also I'm stuck on the same writer's block since then for this story. I can't quite make up my mind for which way I want this fic to take. So I'm sorry to all those who have been waiting for this update, please bear with me a little longer.


	8. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

They found him at the amusement park.

Of all places, they did not understand why he was there. They have been looking for him since the previous day. Quatre had found out that he had booked a hotel room for the first few nights he had arrived on the colony but then had lost track of him. There were no other rooms booked for the rest of his stay on _L4_ but neither had there been a shuttle leaving the stations with his name or any alias they could think of.

All conclusions were that he had stayed on the colony but where they had no idea.

It had been Duo's idea that they visit the amusement park. The indigo eyed man having thought they needed a break and needed to go have some fun. He had ignored the fact that it wasn't exactly habitual for them to go riding on roller coasters and eating over-priced food, but they were regular teenagers now, they should be doing some regular things suitable for their age right?

It had been a long six days and really, when their friend hadn't wanted to be found, hadn't they known from experience he wouldn't be found?

With that sound argument the rest of them gave in and humored him enough to come with him on the outing even though some of them could have went back to their offices and finished off more paper work.

They had been cruising around, Duo throwing in a teasing comment once in a while, Wufei getting his temper kicked up a little bit, and Quatre playing the peace maker while Trowa steadily ignored what was going on.

It felt nice. Peaceful.

It felt...normal, to them.

They had been moving about the park at an accommodating pace, not to fast as to rush and miss everything, but not so slow that they would have to stay for hours more at the fair. Really, they had all been just about enjoying themselves when Duo, jumping around Quatre to get away from Wufei's punch, suddenly stopped and his eyes latching onto a form to the left of them.

Hiiro was standing off to the side by a roller coaster and bit off from the stands made for throwing games such as darts and ball launching. He stood in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirts, hands tucked in pockets, stance a little tilted to one hip and eyes totally cool as he looked around.

They had all felt incredulous of shock for a moment before Duo gave a sharp cry of hurray (" YEAH! I found him! I did!" totally ignoring the fact he hadn't come on a search mission) and ran over to the other man.

Hiiro had turned just in time to see the launching man and side stepped so the braided brown haired man could not hug him.

Quatre had sighed exasperated but amused, and Wufei had rolled his eyes while the rest of them walked over to join the two.

_. . : - : . ._

Hiiro had been waiting for Usagi and Dorothy when they had found him. When first Duo came, then followed by the rest of them, he gave a thankful thought that Usagi was waiting for the roller coaster and Dorothy had gone to get herself some cotton candy. Both had been in a long line when he had last check a few minutes ago and it would give him sufficient amount of time to deal with the guys before they came back and then they would most probably leave.

" Hiiro! You're here!" the bright eyed, braid carrying ex-pilot said to him. " We've been looking for you everywhere!"

" What are you doing here of all places, Yui?" Wufei grunted.

He shrugged and nodded to the rest of them when they came over.

" Ah...well now that we found you, its all the better." The blonde smiled at him. " We've been...worried."

" I've been fine." He told them in a steady voice.

" It's not that we don't think you can fend for yourself, guy." Duo inputted. " It's just that we missed you. Why don't you come back with us and spend some time together?"

He looked at them: old friends, comrades, and one brother and love to the two most important people in his life now.

" Hn..."

_You don't talk that much, do you Yui-san?_ Usagi's voice in his memory surfaced.

Quatre smiled and waited expectantly. Hiiro wondered if he as supposed to give in, and if the old him had really been that predictable.

" Have you thought about what I said last time?" Duo asked. " Une's been really getting on my case for not wringing an answer out of you."

" For not getting the answer she wants you mean."

The other man blinked, wondering if he had made a joke or if the tone had really been as sarcastic as it had sounded.

Had their friend managed to finally change?

" Your skills would be a very welcomed help to the Preventer's." Wufei butt in. " You would be given a sufficient station and position fitting of what you can do."

Hiiro looked at them steadily, evaluating the four. By their comments, all of them were associated with the organization at least to a small degree.

" You would fit in well." Trowa said. Not meaning the rest of the offices, but with them.

He shifted his aquamarine eyes up a bit above their heads and looked into the imitation sky, blue with clouds but oh-so-artifice.

" I'm tired of it." He said calmly.

Quatre blinked, while Duo picked up cautiously. " Of what?"

" The screams. The death. The murders and the killing." His voice was in monotone. " The eyes that stare at us before we kill them. The blame. The guilt."

He shrugged while they all looked at him.

" We're at peace now." His tone was firm, and maybe a bit harsh. " This is what we fought for."

" The peace has to be maintained." Trowa's voice came quietly.

He glanced off to the side, where he could see a head of blonde hair, tendrils long and free to the waist blowing gently in the wind. Another glance in the direction of two streamers, down to her ankles, swaying with her every step as she walked up to the ticket man by the ride.

" Then let others do it." He said, eyes hard. " I was trained for the art of war." He looked back at them, implications swimming in the air. " There is nothing for me there."

Slowly, in the silence that followed he pulled one hand out of a pocket and ran it through his windblown hair. There were no other words or anything else he could tell them, so he turned and walked away. He had his private cell phone on him, the two girls as well, they could call him to meet up away from here.

The other ex-pilots watched him walk off, turned, and disappeared behind booth.

" He has...changed." Wufei said calmly.

" For better?" Quatre wanted to know.

The Chinese man shrugged.

" Do we tell the girls about his?" Duo asked.

_Do we tell Relena?_ Was the unspoken.

Trowa saw out of the corner of his eye, a girl with long blonde hair and a bob of pink in her hands. He had known about his smaller blonde friend who had been searching for her, and slowly slinked off unnoticed towards her.

She wore a pair of brown Capri's, which cut off a bit higher than her ankle with an elbow length beige shirt. A brown leather purse hung on the crook of her elbow. She was picking at the cotton candy with her thumb and index finger, bringing small pieces to her mouth. Her steps were not uncertain and her stance was not guarded. Her face was one of silent enjoyment.

For the first time in years he saw her and he saw the changes in her starkly. She didn't seem to give off the same harsh, fierce edge as she use to. Her battle aura seemed nonexistent - as if she weren't planning on fighting, and her eyes were softer, brighter. She grew a small inch and her hair was kept in the same style. But her mouth quirked up just the tiniest bit without mockery and her famous eyebrows were gone. Now on the place above her eyes, her brows were a single line on each side, with a small fork divided at the end, like a out of proportion sideways 'Y' almost.

The flowery flip-flops on her feet seemed the most absurd thing out of her whole ensemble. He did not understand why they picked at him in the wrong way, but they seemed so pointless (was that why?), he ignored it.

" Dorothy Catalonia." He said when he reached her, steady and calm.

She paused, not startled at all. " Mr. Barton."

Silence between the two of them, while he stared at her and she occasionally taking a bit of her cotton swirl.

" How...have you been?" He started, very awkward.

She raised an eyebrow and took another bit of her treat. For some reason, the absurdness of the situation was beginning to become too much. Here he was, quiet ex-gundam pilot, trying to talk to Dorothy Catalonia, ex-confederation political psycho, who was dressed too much like a civilian for his liking and eating _cotton candy_ in front of him.

He was unnerved.

" Mr. Barton." She said again. " I've been fine. And you?"

He had to remember that she had been trained for the art of conversation and body language; this all might be her plan to unsettle him. But he could feel it wasn't and that made him on the edge even more.

" Fine." He said, voice steady.

She waited.

He waited.

She shrugged and picked at her candy.

He stared.

" If you're done talking to me," she said, " I have to find my friends that I came with. I seemed to have lost them."

" How..." he stopped and tried to start again, not sure what he wanted to say.

She gave him an amused glance. " Really Mr. Barton, what are you here for?"

He was silent. He couldn't tell her that it was because of Quatre's interest in her, he wouldn't know how she would take that statement and he wasn't sure if his blonde friend would like him breaking his confidence.

She took another bit of the floating sugar.

" That is very bad for you." He said, voice flat.

She shrugged. " So are a lot of things. I think this is the lesser of many devils."

" Ah," he spoke, eyes gleaming, " have you met many."

She finally turned to stare at him, eyes shining with a bit of a familiar expression. " I've known many." She said. " But that's over now."

" Moving on with your life?" He asked.

She hummed. " Something like that."

" You have a man in your life?" He made sure to make his toe very banal.

She quirked an eyebrow, " Why? You interested."

" No."

She shrugged. " All the better. We don't seem to get along well."

He wanted for her to throw that blasted pink cone away that she kept picking at.

" Interested in someone else?"

Her eyes dropped down, but the brightness inside of them let him know that she was suspecting something of him. " Why would it matter?"

" It doesn't." He returned. " Just making conversation."

She hummed again.

" Why are you on the colony?" he asked suddenly.

" I was invited." She shrugged. " I went to the Winner gathering, and after that, stayed to have some fun."

" Fun..."

She looked at him, lips quirking. " Yes. Fun. Going to the park. Hosing down friends in the front yard. Running around town for more clothes. Going to the amusement park to have some cotton candy." She took a bite. " Fun."

He continued to look at her and she sighed.

" Move on, Mr. Barton." She said. " The war is over. Move on."

He was silent.

" Make friends; keep up with the old ones. Repent, live not just survive. Forgive others. Forgive yourself. Take a good look at your actions and see which ones were desperate measures made in desperate times and which ones you can't change. See those decisions you can live with and start _living_."

He stared at this woman, wondering who she was.

" Change. You are not the person you were yesterday, stop clinging to the past."

His comrades had noticed him gone, and found him again. They've been standing a little bit off behind him and stood at his back, their presence was felt but somehow, they seemed a bit far away.

" Get a job, find something you enjoy. Find yourself a girlfriend, date, smile, laugh when you can." She shrugged at the four steady stares directed at her. " Plan your career or if you want to have a family one day. Travel through space, go to Earth, and see the world. Enjoy the sites and try exotic foods. Love. Be loved."

" Who could love a man with our past? Or no past?"

She let her eyes drop.

_. : - : ._

" _I knew a boy once." Her manager said from her perch on her make-up table. " An orphan."_

_Dorothy turned to her silently from her seat in the hairdresser's chair and looked at Michelle out of the corner of her eyes. Her manager smiled, they were having a discussion on past loves._

" _He was a childhood friend."_

" _He didn't know where he had came from?" _

_The hairdresser pulled her hair back with a tiny comb and hummed while she listened to the two._

" _He was there when I needed him. I think that was all that mattered."_

" _So where is he now?"_

_Michelle shrugged. " I don't know. I lost track of him through the war."_

" _And you couldn't find him since he had no family record to track."_

_Her manager nodded. " I used to find that liberating. No past. No ties. No one to lose in the bad times. No one to judge you when you made bad decisions."_

_Dorothy knew that Michelle had done some things she hadn't been proud of to survive, but it was a hard world out there. " So what?"_

" _He had something very steady about him, even though he was young. I liked that a lot." _

" _Was he cute?" Dorothy put in snidely. _

_Michelle laughed. " He was very cute. And he would have been very good looking when he grew up. He showed a lot of promise. He used to tell me about the stars. And his eyes had always been as bright as those lights in the sky."_

_Dorothy softened. " A space heart?"_

_Her manager smiled softly. " Something." She said. " I think he felt that the universe was very vast and he was such a small child."_

" _No past, no boundaries?"_

" _I think he thought he would just disappear one day into that vastness." Michelle pulled a stand forward from the bun settling in on top of her head. The hairdresser tilted her head in thought then nodded to the manager._

" _And did he?"_

_Michelle leaned back towards the mirror behind her. " Probably. I use to think he had wings. That one day, he would finally learn how to fly and leave the rest of us behind on the ground."_

" _The boy that flew too close to the sun?"_

" _I used to be in love with him. When we separated I wanted to find him so much. But then the war started and I think he enlisted."_

" _So do you think he's MIA? Or maybe dead?"_

_Her manager shrugged. " I used to dream of a life with him. That we would see each other again and hopefully start dating. Fall in love. Years down the line; start a family."_

" _Wow. You were in pretty deep." Dorothy said._

" _Yeah, I was." Her eyes were soft. " I would have done anything at one point for him. Given up my world. He was my world. I was so in love."_

" _Advice for the falling?" Dorothy said dryly. _

_Michelle laughed. " You're in pretty deep with this Quatre guy I've been hearing about from Usagi. Be careful or you'll end up just as deep as I was back then." _

" _And now?"_

_Her tone turned wistful. " Now I just want to see his face one more time."_

_. : - : ._

She took a bit of her candy. " Probably the same kind as someone I know." She shrugged.

" Ms. Dorothy..." That was Quatre and Dorothy was unnerved. She was still edgy from their last encounter.

" Well, I've got to find my friends." She told them before they could say anymore. " They're probably waiting for me. It was nice seeing you all again."

She nodded and turned quickly to walk away. She rushed off and didn't see Quatre as he tried to take two steps towards her and hands reaching out to swipe at the place were she had been.

" Well, that was intense." Duo said a bit stunned. " When Hilde said Dorothy was weird now, I didn't think it was like this."

_Find yourself a girlfriend. Live. Love. Forgive others. Forgive _yourself. _Smile. Laugh. Love. Be loved._

" She moved on." Trowa said, voice calm but the words from the conversation running themselves in circles in his head.

" She's different now." Wufei observed.

" Yeah. Less harsh. Less kill-kill." Duo concluded.

Wufei shot the American a dry look but Trowa looked at Quatre who was staring at where Dorothy had been with a blank expression.

" She's still hurt." The blonde said softly and none doubted it for his empathic heart.

" Maybe she's healing." Duo shrugged.

There was a odd gleam in the blonde boy's eyes.

**.: Owari no Shou :.**


	9. Chapter Seven

Hiasobi: Dedicated to **Bluejello** the only one who reviewed my new Rurouni Kenshin fic, and to convince me to take this up again.

* * *

Chapter Seven 

Haruka and the others left within a few day of the Gathering. The two musicians had a concert to perform, Setsuna had her duties to attend to, and Hotura had school. They had phoned the three of them and let them know and left contact information. Dorothy and Usagi had decided it to stay a few more days to look around.

It might have taken a lot to get them back here, and while a part of them did want to leave as soon as possible, there was something nostalgic about being back in space and on the colonies.

There were a lot of bad things that had happened here, some beyond their control, and some not. But also there were some happy memories and imbedded sense of belonging as well. This was there they had been born. This was where they had been raised.

This had been home - for a small while at least.

There was the chance that they would bump into the people they might have wanted to avoid, but they wanted to stay - just for a bit more. Just to try and find that sense of home where they had once had.

Space hearts to the end. All of them. Not in the same sense that applied to the male Winner - okay, maybe Usagi was.

It was supposed to have been harmless. Maybe a little hurt, but all together not too much pain. But Dorothy had become timid once they left the house and Usagi's eyes didn't quite smile the same way it did on Earth.

Hiiro stared silently at the screen, thoughts running tiredly around in his head. It's been a long time since he had felt this worn down and burdened. He pushed the 'enter' key on the laptop and watched the order of the shuttle tickets process through.

They were going back to Earth.

Home.

_. : - : ._

Michelle Cara leaned back on her chair releasing a happy sigh. Finally things were going to get back on schedule. Dorothy's unplanned trip up and out of the atmosphere had bungled things around and the manager had needed to make some emergency rounds and special time slot changing for some of the shoots and interviews. It hadn't been easily, compounded with the fact that Dorothy had known when she would come back.

But that was alright now. The model had emailed her the night before and told her to expect them at the shuttle airport at 1600 hours as of tomorrow. That was 32 hours away.

Michelle looked down at the clock on her screen and blinking back bleary eyes she shut down her system. That was all the work that needed to be done tonight if she was planning on being there on time to pick the three of them up at the airport. She picked up her cup of coffee on the side of the laptop and walked out of her study room.

Her apartment was nice, fairly spacious and had a spectacular view being on the 8th floor and facing out towards the beach. She wasn't too far into the city for all the industry but she wasn't too close to the harbor for the rent to be too expensive either. All in all it had two bedrooms, one for her and one for guest, one study room, a nice bathroom, and an open kitchen that connected to the living room. It was tastefully decorated in pale colors and the odd item in her favorite color.

She smiled, as she looked in the hallway mirror mounted at eye level and nursed her still warm coffee. Light blonde hair paler than Dorothy's flowed down past her shoulders, a gentle face, sharper chin, and blue-gray eyes shining with a soft light. People say Michelle herself could have been a model if she wasn't so determined to manage one.

She took a sip of the brown liquid then walked to pour the rest down the drain. She rinsed the emerald ceramic cup and placed it on the plastic drying mat. Turning the facet off and reaching for a paper towel to dry her hands with, she let her thoughts wonder about when her blonde bombshell was going to come back with her money making figure and witty sarcasm.

Dorothy had been in a strange mood when she had requested the time off for a trip; voice subdued like it hasn't been for a long time. She had been worried, but it seemed she was taking her two best friends with her so Michelle hadn't inquired too much. But still, she hoped Dorothy hadn't been hurt.

Physically would be near impossible, being quite athletic and strong, and with Hiiro there. But emotionally, Dorothy was sometimes oddly different.

_I love...I love you._

Michelle sighed and walked past the mirror and towards her bedroom to grab a change of clothes before she took a shower. She didn't really have the right to critic others in their lives until she got her own in order.

_. : - : ._

Usagi grunted as she lifted the box up and onto the tabletop. Her duffle bag lay on her bed, clothes carefully folded inside and small nit-naks stuck into the side pockets. The souvenirs she had bought were all packed up in the various small brown boxes around the room.

She could hear the sounds of Dorothy moving out in the kitchen and living room, packing the last of what they had brought and bought. Hiiro had been sent out to buy food and whatever portable entertainment he could get for the flight back. She snickered when she heard the sound of Dorothy tripping over some random object and the curses that flowed after.

Then the amusement dimmed as Usagi looked around the bare room, and sighed. They had wanted to stay longer, they really had - but after the close encounter the day before at the carnival was a bit too close. Hiiro had come back disgruntled and Dorothy had locked herself in her room for hours afterwards.

It hurt when her precious people were unhappy and she knew it also hurt them that she hadn't been her usual self when they told her about what had happened. She turned towards her bag and doubled checked that she had everything she needed and wouldn't be leaving something behind.

Especially all of Hiiro guns and portable ammo. She shook her head; that would be something to explain to the landlord when he called them up afterwards. She also made sure all the cords and plugs for the laptop were put away and the laptop itself was placed in the carry case. Hiiro wouldn't be happy if they left it behind.

Scrap of metal on metal let her know Dorothy had put the pan on the stove. The other girl was probably cooking something to tide her over for the while, too impatient for Hiiro to come back with the food. Soon Usagi could smell the aroma of something simmering.

She walked out of the bedroom and to the open kitchen. As predicted, Dorothy stood at the stove, chopsticks in hand as she watched the food in the pot. Walking until she stood next to her, Usagi looked down and smiled in amusement. Dorothy was cooking a package of ramen.

The other girl had become quite attached to fast, cheap, and all unhealthy junk foods like ramen, pocky, coca cola, chips, common chocolate bars, and such. Dorothy explained it as a child growing up in the elite world of the rich, famous, and important, she had never been able to and been allowed to try them before - and when she finally had the chance now, they tasted like freedom.

Usagi would have laughed if she hadn't understood what Dorothy had been trying to say in her round about way. In the rich and famous, you had the only what the elite had and what they would consider snacks. The richest chocolates, the exotic small dishes, the foreign expensively imported snacks - but things like the ordinary chocolate bars, the chips that made your hands sticky, the absolutely fattening crackers - they were considered beneath the social standings and no matter how nice they looked, one would not stoop so low to try them.

Now that Dorothy had put that restrictive and restraining life behind her, she could do whatever she wanted. If she wanted a cheap chocolate bar, she got the cheap chocolate bar. If she wanted a package of instant noodles instead of the elaborate pastas, she could get it. If Dorothy wanted to be a regular teenager - she could be.

It was freedom and privilege - in the way that no one would judge her anymore to their standards.

" Oooh." Usagi said. " Noodles."

Dorothy hummed. " Yui's taking too long, and no doubt since we didn't tell him to get anything specific, he's going to be getting " here the ex-politician put on a suffering face, " _sushi._"

Usagi laughed. " So he enjoys his heritage."

Dorothy looked at her. " Girl, the boy's got brown hair and blue eyes. _What_ heritage?"

" Hey! I've got blue eyes! And blond hair, what's your point?"

" But your family's been there since your great-grandparents." Dorothy refered to how Tsukino's had immigrated to Japan a century ago. A warmth spread from within Usagi as the way they all naturally thought of the kind adoptive family as her own." The boy was raised - I dunno _how_ - "

" I do." The sunny girl mumbled, Dorothy ignored her and stirred the noodles.

" But it was _not_ in Japan."

" He's speaks Japanese." Usagi argued.

" Honey." She pointed the chopsticks at her, " _I_ speak Japanese. Guess how? I _learned_ it. Doesn't make me Japanese."

" Doesn't mean he's not."

" Didn't you hear me? He doesn't look Japanese, he wasn't raised in Japan, and he - "

" He's got a citizen card." Usagi said stubbornly.

Dorothy rolled her eyes. " You're telling me that like I don't know he can forge one in less than 10 minutes."

The shorter blonde bit her inner cheek to stop her laughter, but she was sure her twinkling eyes gave her away anyways. Dorothy turned and poured the noodles into a bowl.

" His parents could have been Japanese."

" He _didn't_ know his parents."

" Doesn't matter."

" Don't see how that counts then."

" He could have been born in Japan. So therefore he's Japanese."

" He didn't grow up there."

" But he never stayed long enough in any other place to accumulate a different citizenship. So he's still a citizen of Japan and Japanese."

" He is so _not_. He could have stayed maybe one to two years of in Japan in the first few years of his life before he got up and traveled. What about those years he stayed in the Colonies? _Longer_ than two years I say."

" But he didn't _apply_ for another citizenship so he keeps his old one. And he speaks Japanese and keeps Japanese customs."

" If you count calling people 'baka'." Dorothy muttered, carrying her bowl and chopsticks over to the table.

Usagi followed and pulled out a chair of each of them. They sat down facing each other and Dorothy took a bite.

" And he likes sushi because he's trying to catch up the years he spent away from the homeland. Don't see why you're against it though."

" I'm not against it, I like sushi but the way Yui's taken to such a liking to it..." she shook her head.

" It's good food, and it's higher class then ramen."

Usagi laughed and ducked the flying chopstick Dorothy sent her way as they heard the front door opening. The sunny blonde gave a sound of happiness and walked towards the door. Dorothy merely scowled, watched Hiiro walked in and closed the door behind him.

" What did you buy?" His girlfriend asked him as she took the white plastic bags to place them on the kitchen table.

" Some books for the shuttle." Hiiro muttered, putting the other bags by the couch. " A few trinkets you two might be amused with, a compact disk player and some new music cds."

Usagi untied the knots " And food wise?"

" Some curry chicken, fried rice, shrimp tempura, fried dumplings and sushi."

" Aha!" Dorothy cried, pointing her lone chopstick towards him. " I knew it."

Hiiro raised a questioning brow. " I enjoy the things from my heritage, what of it?"

From pure instinct he ducked the chopstick that flew at him as Usagi fell to the floor laughing.

_. : - : ._

Wufei swiped his access card through the slot and waited for the electronic door to slide open. He walked into the office and saw Sally sitting by her desk, the cordless tucked between her shoulder and chin. The older woman typed away on her computer, occasionally making affirmative sounds to let the other party know she was still on the line.

" Are you sure?" Sally asked. A mumbling came back over the line. " Positive. All right then. Terminal four you say, mid afternoon flight. Is there anyway to book a seat?" Some indistinct words. " All booked. Even if I pull a few stings? Hrm, okay then. Forward me the information if you can. Thank you."

He moved over to the cupboards and pulled out his cup. Reached for the coffee pot and poured a drink. He placed the pot back on the setting and walked over to his desk. He sat down and looked over to the older Preventer to see her biting her bottom lip as she read some data off her screen. He took a sip and went to his own pile of paperwork to be sorted.

" Dorothy Catalonia is leaving for a flight, due in 30 hours." His occasional assignment partner said abruptly.

He turned to her and tilted his head in acknowledgement but did not answer.

" Should I forward this information to Quatre?"

The Arabian ex-pilot had seemed quite interested in regards to the ex-politician. He pulled the cup close and took a pensive pause as he drank. Quatre had seemed oddly intrigued with the blonde girl but it was a busy time of day, and there wasn't much the businessman could do with the information at the moment. It was useless trivia and the Chinese man didn't know if he wanted to bother the busy Winner with such a thing.

The same notion had probably gone through Sally's mind, hence the reason of asking him. Wufei was closer to the ex-gundam pilot, and following that line of thought, he should know better if they should take the chance of bothering him on such a busy time of day.

" Couldn't hurt." He finally concluded. "Send it to him through electronic mail. You won't have to get through his secretary that way, and you won't be interrupting any meetings. He'll get it when he has time to get to it."

Sally nodded in agreement and turned to her computer screen. Likewise, he went back to his work.

His table was situated in the left side of the room, tilted slightly to the side to face the other end of the room. A bookshelf near the back housed all his research materials and to a lesser extent some literature he liked to read. The desk made of oak wood with a beige polish blended nicely with the other pale colors in the room. On its surface were piles of neatly sorted paperwork and stationary, and a sizable computer monitor, which took up a corner of the desk by itself. The accompanying chair was black, cushioned, and had wheels so he could move easily.

His partner, Sally's desk was placed on the right and tilted on the opposite angle of his so they could look at each other without have to twist their neck. Her papers were less cleanly divided, thrown into almost merging piles, but when Wufei has questioned the efficientness the older woman had declared it was what one called an 'organized mess'. Wufei had snorted and never believed her.

Typing sounds came from the other side and Wufei himself turned on his computer. Waiting for the technology to boot, he pulled forward some sheets off the top of the center pile. These were the ones that needed immediate attention.

He signed off on some requests for various supplies around the organization that had been pushed to the backburner, until now they were desperately needed. The group support in the city claimed they needed an increase in budget to hired 100 more officers, Wufei checked off the most important points made and approved of the hiring of 50 new officers. Some investigation needed a more in depth forensic research to solve the case and needed access to equipment they were not cleared for yet. Wufei signed off on several more reports before he looked back up to his computer, logging onto the Preventers' network, typing in his ID and pass code. He noticed that Barton was on again and filed that away in the back of his mind for later consideration.

He worked through some new messages and sent replies back to the other department heads on various regards and watched for replies that he had red flagged. Soon he settled deep into his work mode and did not notice too often how the time passed.

" Wufei." Sally called from across the office, getting up. "It's lunchtime, would you like a break?"

He glanced at her briefly and shook his head.

The older woman placed a hand on her hip. " You need to eat, Chang. Come on, we'll walk around and find a good place with decent food on the main street."

He did not bother to look away from his work. " I brought my own food, it's in the staff office. I'll eat it when I get the chance."

Sally huffed. " Which will be when? When you get off work at the end of the day?" she asked sarcastically.

He did not reply.

" Come to lunch with me." She enticed.

He gave the notion another thought, she was his partner and they had known each other for a long time. A simple lunch together would hurt no one. " Thank you," he replied after the moment, " but no."

She sighed. " Alright, I'll see you when I get back."

Her flats clattered lightly against the wooden floor as she exited the room. The sound of fingers pressing on a keyboard did not stop until half an hour past the time she left. Wufei stared at the screen, re-reading the finished report for errors.

He could do without the scheduled lunch breaks and a meal at a fancy restaurant, but a walk in the park...a quiet stroll through the gardens...a comfortable spot to read in the shade of a tree...

He pushed away from the desk and got up to go to the Upper Officer staff office to retrieve his lunch. He would eat, then he would go for a long, intensive workout at the dojo until he was satisfied with his form. After all, uncertainty had no place in martial arts.

_. : - : ._

Michelle took a small sip of the tea from her cup and placed it back down on its saucer. She looked up and around the restaurant. The back held a nicely displayed bar, and the interior design of the diner was made to be comfortable and refined. This was a higher-class establishment made to cater to the not extremely wealthy, but moderately rich taste. It was popular for the politicians and superstars that came to relax, and a favorite in the area to celebrate special occasions.

" Refill?" A server asked by her side of the benched table.

Michelle chuckled, " No thanks. I see you're serving today instead of washing the dishes Meiling."

The long black haired girl laughed. " Yes, they were short on servers today, Vivian got sick. So they asked me to replace her temporarily."

Michelle smiled at her. The other girl had long black hair she had tied up into a bun on the back of her head, her brown eyes were warm, soft cheeks bones, and small pouty lips. She had been the shortest worker there until Usagi was hired, which she was very thankful for, now that she wasn't the only one getting short jokes in her direction. Meiling wore the server's outfit for the restaurant consisting of black flats, black pants, white dress shirt, and a black vest, completed with a tie.

" Well, good news." Michelle said, " Usagi and the others two should be back tomorrow afternoon."

" Really?" The Asian girl said, happily. " Oh good, I've missed my funny-bunny friend. We haven't had a our weekly broken plate since she left."

The blonde laughed. " Yes, and I noticed that the boss has had to pay Drake and Mirassile more for their increased hours."

The two aforementioned bouncers on the side of the elaborated decorated doorway saluted her smiling at the words.

Meiling laughed. " Yeah, we need to get the drunks and troublemakers out of here somehow, now with Hiiro's scowl and muscle is on vacation."

" What's this I hear about our star basketball player?" A voice interrupted.

" Richard!" Meiling cried. " You scared the blee-jee-bies out of me! What are you doing here?"

Richard was a tall boy with short brown hair gelled up, sparkling green eyes, and a charming smile that had girls at the school clamoring for his attention. He was also the Captain of the basketball team, and Secretary of the Student Council in the school that Meiling, Hiiro, Usagi, and Dorothy all went to.

" To get some food." The boy replied dryly. " I so sense your welcome my chemistry partner."

Meiling hit him on his arm playfully, and he mocked her by feigning intense pain on his bicep. The girl rolled her eyes.

" So what's this about my star forward?" Richard turned to Michelle.

The blonde laughed. " He should be arriving late tomorrow. He, Usagi, and Dorothy should be landing in the late afternoon."

" All right!" Richard said enthusiastically. " Now the coach can get off my case about training the benchers."

" You should be training them anyways!" Meiling argued.

Richard coughed. " Well, I'll uh, be finding my own seat now. Talk to you girls later!"

After giving them another dazzling smile, he rushed off to the other end of the room with his classmate glaring at his back. Michelle chuckled while Meiling rolled her eyes.

" That man, I'll never get him." The shorter girl muttered. " He needs to take his duty more seriously, he's the Captain. Well, Hiiro will kick his lazy butt back into gear when he gets back home."

" Yes. Home." Michelle agreed, taking another sip from her cup.

**. : Owari No Shou : .**

Hiasobi: I've been out of the loop one the GWSM fiction for a while now, if some of you could take your time to leave me your recommandation on here or on my LJ to some of your fav. GWSM fictons that would be grealty appreciated help me find inspiration.


	10. Chapter Eight

Apparently (shockingly) this fiction is still alive. There are some of you who are still waiting for updates on this story, XD. The people who have this on Story Alert is in the triple digits, yeow. I thought since it hadn't been updated for so long, you might have (somewhat correctly) assumed it was dead. I have also started another GW/SM fiction entitled **Sand Beneath My Feet** which I had been focusing on. But I'll add this **Sanctuary** back to the active list.

I originally had this long, thought out, plot line for this story but I lost it somewhere in the past year or two when I switched computers. So now I'm going to go with what I remember and make up the rest.

I already showed some some interactions with some of the canon characters of a series, now in this chapter I thought it was time to show you the new life Hiro, Usagi, and Dorothy built - and are trying to protect.

Index:  
**Sempai **- someone who is your superior in either age or experience.

* * *

**Title:** Sanctuary: Haven  
**Rating: **PG13  
**Summary:** After the wars: Dorothy Catalonia, Hiiro Yui and Usagi Tsukino end up being housemates. But when a letter comes addressed to Usagi Winner, they all have to face up to the past that none of them wanted.

* * *

Dorothy found the flight shuttle back to Earth wasn't as stressful as it had been on the trip to the Colony. For one thing, they were less fearful of what awaited them at the end of the journey; which was life, life, as they wanted. Life as normal, slightly eccentric, moody eighteen-year-old students. 

The Royal Conservation High School of England was a small school with a close community feel to it. After years of purposefully attending large classrooms in order to be forgotten, the change in the environment to be _remembered_ had been an awkward adjustment for Hiiro, but he was glad for it. The classes each had 30-40 students and a professor who lectured on the subject; this allowed the students to get to know each other and the staff on a more personal basis. The school encouraged camaraderie and good relations between students and staff alike. The feel of a close-kit group and possible one-on-one attention was the edge over the other schools in the area.

For Dorothy and Hiiro, it was like high school like they had never had the chance to experience. Usagi groaned about being identified as the one always late but that had gotten better as Hiiro started driving her to school. Lectures, like university, were not compulsory attendance but heavily encouraged, as with a small class, the professor could tell who didn't show up.

Usagi was the Vice-President of the Student Council - an amazing, baffling, astounding fact; Usagi was well liked but she was known for her air-headness and klutz attacks. Some how she had been nominated and elected in.

Hiiro was President. That was probably why.

The top student of the school was elected President by tradition, and with Hiiro's academic achievements, it was no surprise the post was his. Yet they had a very grumpy, scary, moody, often absent president. When others saw that Usagi was able to interact with him, was _liked_ by him, that she was able to get him to fulfill his duties to the student body on occasion, there had been a unanimous movement in the rest of the administration to have her elected into a post.

Usagi, naïve and unknowing, was thrilled but confused and nervous that she would be unable to fill the expectations of her post, and pleaded Dorothy not to leave her there alone. Dorothy, with a tick in her eye and all the power of the Catalonia name, and her politically background, won the vote for Treasurer in a landslide.

Richard, the charmer, had been flirting with her ever since. He also flirted with Usagi when he felt it was safe and Hiiro was not going to take his arms off for his overtures.

Hiiro was on the basketball team with Richard. Richard, as the Captain, had recruited heavily on Hiiro until he (upon having Richard threaten to flirt with Usagi every time they were in the same vicinity) agreed to be the forward. Hiiro was also heavily pressured, recruited, enticed, pleaded, and begged to join other sport teams of the school. He agreed to be an occasional, emergency player when all other options were unavailable.

This hilarious situation came about when Hiiro, in the midst of deciding to be a normal teenager, and choosing courses for the normal teenager, took Physical Education as a liberal first semester as he had been under the misconception that normal teenage boys would take such a course. Once the athletic department had seen his capabilities, it had been non-stop recruitment for the next year. Dorothy chortled internally at his grief and never visited the fence club like she had originally thought she might.

It turned out to be part of a good thing as their eagerness overcame their trepidation of Hiiro's curt manner, and they excused his surliness for a normal person's annoyance of being constantly pestered to join various clubs. By the time the frenzy had died down to a manageable level Hiiro's reticent character had been accepted as the norm and he had made several friends.

Dorothy on the other hand had conquered the school from day one when she shot down the latest haughty prima donna who thought she would be an easy target. Then she was made approachable when Usagi and Hiiro came looking for her and the bubbly blonde spent most of the lunch break poking fun at her two housemates.

Usagi was a friendly, out going, slightly clumsy but endearing girl. She made friends left and right, exchanging phone numbers and emails until end of the school day when Hiiro had to loom over and glare the hanger-ons into submission before they could go home.

Dorothy sat back in to cushioned seat and stared out the window into the endless black of space. She watched the sight of the Earth enter the view and her heart gave a pleasant jump. Hiiro tapping on his laptop in front of her, Usagi sleeping with her head on his shoulder on beside him, the Colonies and their past behind them, she felt content.

Life. They were returning to their lives.

**. : - : . **

"Dorothy!"

The three turned to the familiar call and the girls smiled at the sight of the blonde fashion agent.

"Michelle!" Dorothy and Usagi greeted.

"How was the flight?" Michelle asked as they exited the space station and entered the sidewalks towards the transportation.

"Reasonable enough," Dorothy replied. "I could go for some real food though."

Michelle laughed. "Alright, where should we go? I can debrief you on your schedule over the meal."

The model groaned but Usagi lit up. "Food!" Hiiro grunted an assent.

"What do you feel like eating?" the agent asked.

Hiiro turned to her direction.

"Thai!" Dorothy snapped before the brunette could say anything.

"I thought you couldn't handle spicy stuff?" Usagi asked, thinking back to their last experience with Thai food.

"_Anything_ is better then sushi." Dorothy replied. "Even ramen!"

"That's because you_ like _ramen." Michelle retorted. "I keep telling you to take care of how many carbs you intake, you need to maintain your figure."

Dorothy waved her hand dismissively. "If I can't get assignments then I'll just live on my own money, like I was doing before."

"What you earn _is_ your own money." Michelle stressed, falling back to the familiar argument they had in the beginning, trying to coax Dorothy to get into the line of work. "It's just not your money _yet_."

The model rolled her eyes. "With your persuasion, that's like saying, that's not my country – _yet_. World domination must be so easy."

Usagi laughed and Hiiro shook his head at the nonsense.

"Indian? Mexican? Chinese?" Michelle threw out suggestions.

"We could go to the restaurant." Usagi said, meaning the place where she and Hiiro both worked. "We need to drop by anyways to check out our work schedule."

"Great. You're friends probably missed you too." The agent nodded.

"Not the broken plates." Hiiro muttered, and suffered a sharp jab in the stomach by his girlfriend.

"You're supposed to love her _and_ her faults." Dorothy chortled.

"You mean _despite_ her faults." Hiiro corrected.

"No," Michelle injected, "it's _because_ of her faults."

Usagi simmered at the conversation; she poked her boyfriend hard in the ribs. "You love me because I'm _perfect_."

Hiiro stared at her blankly, Dorothy blinked, Michelle raised an eyebrow. Usagi narrowed her eyes at them.

"Of course," Hiiro coughed discreetly to the side.

Dorothy hummed her agreement and Michelle smiled beatifically.

"We're going for milkshakes." Usagi said through clenched teeth. "And cake."

"What?" Michelle objected, "But the things that'll do to your figure!"

"She always burns it off," Dorothy muttered, "damn fast metabolism."

Usagi smiled cheekily.

The model gave a sly look to the only male member of their group, "and I guess being active helps."

"Dorothy!" The beet red girl shrieked.

Their male housemate looked off to the side, seemingly ignoring them, but unable to completely hide the pink slowly spreading across his cheeks.

Michelle chortled as they approached her car, "such honest kids."

"I wouldn't call them _kids_." Dorothy threw out before getting into the passenger seat.

Usagi and Hiiro shuffled quickly into the back, hoping the topic would change once they were seated. And they were right.

"So the restaurant?" Michelle asked, pulling out of the parking space and joining the traffic.

Usagi agreed, Hiiro grunted, and Dorothy nodded, "_anything_ other than Japanese food."

"You like teriyaki." The manager pointed out.

"I'm also getting sick of it." Dorothy shot back.

"You're just being picky." Usagi said.

"Me? _Me _picky?"

The sunshine colored blonde stuck out her tongue, "of course."

Michelle turned on the radio to a popular music channel to drown out the argument. Hiiro looked out the window exasperated but if one paid attention they could see the corner of his lips twitch upwards. They reached the restaurant an hour later and all three teenagers hurried out of the car to stretch their muscles.

Michelle pressed the button to lock her car and turned to the three waiting for her. She smiled and joined them, walking towards the shop.

It was dead time, with only a few customers in the store. Incidentally, all whom they knew, and was greeted by enthusiastically at the door.

"Table for f-"

"Hiiro, my man!" Richard seated near the door was the first to spot them.

Meiling walked over from the bar. "Usagi-chan, Dorothy!"

"HIIRO!" The shift supervisor almost burst into tears. "Thank god you're back!"

The rest of the staff and some of the regular customers descended on them.

"Wasn't much happening while you were away-"

"You guys missed so many classes, are you going to be alright?"

"Do you need notes?"

"Hiiro, you have an assignment due tomorrow in Economics, and Usagi, I'm sorry to tell you that there's a test in English in two days."

"The scheduling has been crazy without you here to fill in Hiiro, _never_ take off like that again! I had to bully the other stupid idiots into coming for more shifts."

"I hear you guys went on a vacation? Where? Why? Did you take pictures?"

"Thank god you came back in time for the first basketball game of the season."

"We had drunks and snobs trying to stay past the closing time. Hard to deal with when they're drunken snobbish rich men, damn money bags. The other boys just don't have the finesse you do Hiiro in dealing with them."

"Man, I missed the sight of you chucking them out on their rear, literally."

Hiiro grunted.

"We're going to _cream_ Saint Peters next week."

"Usagi, the council needs those flyers you were working on to be handed in _yesterday_."

Usagi squeaked. "Flyers, what flyers?"

Michelle watched as a frazzled teenage boy nearly have a heart attack from Usagi's words. Dorothy leaned back to speak wryly into her manager's ear. "Can you tell they were missed?"

"Hold it, hold it!" Richard warded off, stepping in front of Hiiro. "Leave your comments to my star player until later. I believe he came to eat." He tilted his head back towards the boy in question. "You did come to eat right?"

Hiiro grunted.

"That's an affirmative!" The basketball team Captain chirped. "Now why don't you all clear out and let my man do his business and not crowd him?"

"You're just saying that because you want him to yourself." Kotarou observed as the others backed off and Richard followed the group to their table.

"Why Kotarou," the brunette mocked hurt, "I didn't know you felt that way. You only need to tell me and I'd be happy to keep you company."

The short blonde vice-captain of the basketball team batted the arm away. "Gods, you're like another Yuuto. And don't talk like that, pervert, I have Mio!"

"Ah yes," Richard despaired, "the perfect girlfriend. How could any of us faulty humans ever compete?"

"Hiiro!" Kotarou slammed his tiny hands on the table. "Come back soon, Kazuya and I can't handle this prick alone."

The captain cross his arms in front of him and looked at his short vice-captain critically. "You're just crabby that without Hiiro you're the only short one on the team."

Hiiro and Kotarou, at the heights of 165 cm and 162 cm respectively, were the two shortest members of the team. All the other players were over the 180 cm mark, averaging at 185 cm. At first glance most others scoffed at the idea of the two being capable players on the court. But small stature gave speed and agility, being able to weave in and out around others. Hiiro also never lost in terms of power.

The short brunette was the team's special weapon, being able to attack and defend perfectly well. But Hiiro was more suited for aggressive play and Richard had placed him as the power forward. Kotarou was small forward, one of the only ones who could make it in time for Hiiro's calculated swift passes.

Without Hiiro around the others had been teasing Kotarou more than usual in the adjustment of missing the other. It was all fun and games but it pricked at Kotarou's pride; for being of short height he also had a refined, almost girlish face. He disliked it when others teased him about being a girl.

They had also been pensive about Hiiro's sudden absence. For the first time in a long time Royal had a chance at the inter-high National Basketball Championship. The other members had been waiting for the whole half year since they had recruited and trained with the quiet boy. Most of the team, including Hiiro, would be graduating at the end of the school year. This was a last shot at the previously impossible award.

But Hiiro's sudden withdrawal from school and work due to 'personal reasons' had others scared that he might not return, or that he would lose his drive to win. But it seemed it like it had been useless worries after all.

"Shut up you idiot!" Kotarou kicked out and caught the basketball team captain in the abdominal.

"Respect your sempai's, Japanese boy!" Richard wheezed.

"I'll do that when you earned it!"

"Ahh…they're fighting again." Meiling observed bringing a tray heavily with food.

Richard winced and straightened up. "Aren't you off shift?"

"I'm joining my friends." Meiling replied haughtily, placing the plates on the table and settling into a seat next to Usagi.

"You're rubbing off on her." Richard accused Dorothy.

"Good."

Richard sighed. "I'm surrounded by cold-hearted women; won't someone up there take mercy on me?"

"Hn." Hiiro unrolled the handkerchief and took the fork, stabbing at the fries next to his deluxe cheeseburger.

"So mean Hiiro!" Richard whimpered and fell into a free chair next to the boy.

Everyone perked up at the sound of a cell phone melody, glancing in the direction of their mobile phones. Meiling, Usagi, and Michelle all checked stagnant phones before Kotarou flipped open his.

"Moshi moshi?" The blonde boy greeted. "Yuuto! I'm with the Captain right now, at the restaurant. Hiiro just came back. Yeah. No, just a bit longer. Yuuto – Tatsuki?" He blinked. "I'm at the diner, with the Captain, Meiling, Hiiro and Usagi - hello? Tatsuki?" The small boy glared at the dead tone from his phone. "He hung up on me! He hung up on me, from Yuuto's phone!"

"So I guess the overprotective cousin is going to show up soon?" Richard stole a fry off a vengeful looking Meiling. "What! Aren't you girls on a permanent diet or something? I'm doing you a favor." The brunette was pelted with fries from all directions.

"Tatsuki isn't overprotective!"

Finally emerging from under the table Richard gave him a Look.

"Hate to say it," Meiling agreed, "but wherever you are, he's bound to show up."

"We have the same group of friends!" Kotarou protested.

Usagi ignored the conversation in favor of finishing her meal, and trying to sneak in some of Hiiro's. Her boyfriend caught her but did not stop her apart from giving her a penetrating stare, which she cheerfully disregarded. Dorothy ordered a dessert under the judicious eye of her manager who was calculating her latest calorie intake.

"That's because he has to keep an eye out for Kotarou." Richard chirped. "Don't blame him. My little helper is cute as a girl!"

"I'm going to _kill_ you!" Kotarou roared.

"Order me one too, Dor-chan?" Usagi asked bright faced over the table as decorum fled from their crowd like geese in late autumn.

"Don't make me come over there!" Drake threatened from his post.

"Hiiro, do something!" The supervisor pleaded, looking over to their table.

Hiiro swallowed his bite methodically and replied, "I'm off duty."

Mirassile laughed at the expression on their manager's face. "Level down the noise, or we'll have to do something about it, employee or not."

Kotarou chased Richard around the table once more. Hiiro waited for the optimal moment before lashing out with his arm and grabbed hold of the laughing brunette's shirt. The tall basketball player's feet went out form under him as he was tugged back and he fell undignified onto his rear. Kotarou managed to change his path and stepped right over the fallen form of his captain, showing no or sympathy or remorse at his fate, instead laughing at his predicament of being treated like a child by one of their friends. Hiiro let go of the shirt and went back to his meal. Usagi laughed melodiously at the incident, while Richard felt his pride cracking into pieces as Dorothy did not even bother to hide her snickers.

"Hiiro! How could you"

"Behave." The shorter brunette ordered.

The captain sulked, "If you weren't my best player…."

"Such is life." Dorothy drawled as he picked himself up and returned back to his seat, grumbling the whole way.

Drake walked up to their table. "I believe someone ordered a moody, quarter-social, half-domesticated, Kotarou-complex, cousin?"

Everyone cracked up. Kotarou flushed from anger and embarrassment. Tatsuki glared at the amused bouncer.

Hiiro allowed a smirk, hand intertwining with Usagi's under the table. This was life; their lives, as regular teenagers.

**. : Owari No Shou : .  
**

Hiasobi: I borrowed some characters in the later part, people who read the manga **Hands Off!** should recognize them.**  
**


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